Style Mr. Secretary Reports to The President Term length No fixed term | Member of Cabinet | |
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Appointer The Presidentwith Senate advice and consent |
The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The Secretary is appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the United States Senate and serves at the President's pleasure. A member of the President's Cabinet, the Secretary is concerned with promoting American businesses and industries; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce".
Contents
Until 1913 there was one Secretary of Commerce and Labor, uniting this department with the Department of Labor, which is now headed by a separate Secretary of Labor.
List of Secretaries of Commerce
No party (1) Democratic (20) Republican (18)
Source: Department of Commerce: Secretaries
Living former Secretaries of Commerce
As of March 2017, there are eleven living former Secretaries of Commerce, the oldest being Frederick B. Dent (served 1973-1975, born 1922). The most recent Secretary of Commerce to die was Juanita M. Kreps (served 1977-1979, born 1921), on July 5, 2010. The most recently serving Secretary to die was Ron Brown (1993-1996, born 1941), who died in office on April 3, 1996.
Line of succession
The line of succession for the Secretary of Commerce is as follows:
- Deputy Secretary of Commerce
- General Counsel of the Department of Commerce
- Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade
- Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs
- Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology
- Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration
- Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Commerce and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Administration
- Boulder Laboratories Site Manager, National Institute of Standards and Technology