Style Madam Secretary Reports to President Term length No fixed term | Member of Cabinet | |
Appointer The Presidentwith Senate advice and consent |
The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation, a member of the President's Cabinet, and thirteenth in the Presidential Line of Succession. The post was created with the formation of the Department of Transportation on October 15, 1966, by President Lyndon B. Johnson's signing of the Department of Transportation Act. The Department's mission is "to develop and coordinate policies that will provide an efficient and economical national transportation system, with due regard for need, the environment, and the national defense." The Secretary of Transportation oversees eleven agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In April 2008, Mary Peters launched the official blog of the Secretary of Transportation called The Fast Lane.
Contents
- List of Secretaries of Transportation
- Line of succession
- Living former Secretaries of Transportation
- References
The first Secretary of Transportation was Alan Stephenson Boyd, nominated to the post by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson. Ronald Reagan's second Secretary of Transportation, Elizabeth Dole, was the first female holder, and Mary Peters was the second. Gerald Ford's nominee William Thaddeus Coleman, Jr. was the first African American to serve as Transportation Secretary, and Federico Peña, serving under Bill Clinton, was the first Hispanic to hold the position, subsequently becoming Secretary of Energy. Japanese-American Norman Mineta, who had previously been Secretary of Commerce, is the longest-serving Secretary, holding the post for over five and a half years, and Andrew Card is the shortest-serving Secretary, serving only eleven months. Neil Goldschmidt was the youngest secretary, taking office at age thirty nine, while Norman Mineta was the oldest, retiring at age seventy four. On January 23, 2009, the sixteenth secretary Ray LaHood took office, serving under the administration of Democrat Barack Obama; he had previously been a Republican Congressman from Illinois for fourteen years. The salary of the Secretary of Transportation is $199,700.
Elaine Chao, who served as Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush, was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump on November 29, 2016. On January 31, 2017 the Senate confirmed her appointment by a vote of 93-6.
List of Secretaries of Transportation
Democratic (7) Republican (11)
Line of succession
The line of succession regarding who would act as Secretary of Transportation in the event of a vacancy or incapacitation is as follows:
- Deputy Secretary of Transportation
- Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy
- General Counsel
- Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs
- Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy
- Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs
- Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs
- Assistant Secretary for Administration
- Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration
- Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
- Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration
- Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration
- Administrator of the Maritime Administration
- Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration
- Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
- Regional Administrator, Southern Region, Federal Aviation Administration
- Director, Resource Center, Lakewood, Colorado, Federal Highway Administration
- Regional Administrator, Northwest Mountain Region, Federal Aviation Administration
Living former Secretaries of Transportation
As of April 2017, there are twelve living, former Secretaries of Transportation, the oldest being Alan S. Boyd (served 1967–1969, born 1922) The most recent Secretary of Transportation to die was William T. Coleman, Jr. (served 1975-1977, born 1920) on March 31, 2017. The most recently serving Secretary of Transportation to die was Andrew L. Lewis (served 1981-1983, born 1931), who died on February 10, 2016.