View source for United States Secretary of the Navy

{{short description|Statutory office and the head of the U.S. Department of the Navy}}
{{Distinguish|Chief of Naval Operations}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Secretary
| body = the Navy
| insignia = United States Department of the Navy Seal.svg
| insigniasize = 
| insigniacaption = Seal of the Department of the Navy
| insigniaalt = 
| flag = Flag of the United States Secretary of the Navy.svg
| flagsize = 
| flagalt = 
| flagborder = 
| flagcaption = Flag of the secretary
| image = Carlos Del Toro SECNAV portrait.jpg
| imagesize = 
| alt = 
| imagecaption = 
| incumbent = [[Carlos Del Toro]]
| acting = No
| incumbentsince = 9 August 2021
| department = [[United States Department of the Navy|Department of the Navy]]
| style = Mister Secretary<br/>The Honorable (formally)
| type = 
| status = 
| abbreviation = SECNAV
| member_of = 
| reports_to = [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]]<br/>[[United States Deputy Secretary of Defense|Deputy Secretary of Defense]]
| residence = 
| seat = 
| nominator = 
| appointer = The [[President of the United States|President]],
| appointer_qualified = with [[United States Senate|Senate]] [[advice and consent]]
| termlength = 
| termlength_qualified = 
| constituting_instrument = {{USC|10|8013}}
| precursor = 
| formation = {{Start date and age|18 June 1798}}
| first = [[Benjamin Stoddert]]
| last = 
| abolished = 
| succession = [[United States Secretary of Defense#Succession|3rd in SecDef succession]]
| unofficial_names = 
| deputy = The [[Under Secretary of the Navy|Under Secretary]]<br/>(Principal Civilian Deputy)<br/>[[Chief of Naval Operations]]<br/>(Navy Advisor and Deputy)<br/>The [[Commandant of the United States Marine Corps|Commandant]]<br/>(Marine Corps Advisor and Deputy)
| salary = [[Executive Schedule|Executive Schedule, level II]]
| website = {{url|https://www.secnav.navy.mil/}}
| footnotes = 
}}
The '''secretary of the Navy''' ('''SECNAV''') is a statutory officer ({{UnitedStatesCode|10|8013}}) and the head ([[chief executive officer]]) of the [[United States Department of the Navy|Department of the Navy]], a military department within the [[United States Department of Defense]].

By law, the secretary of the Navy must [[civilian control of the military|be a civilian]] at least five years removed from active military service. The secretary is appointed by the [[President of the United States|president]] and requires confirmation by the [[United States Senate|Senate]].

The secretary of the Navy was, from its creation in 1798, a member of the president's [[United States Cabinet|Cabinet]] until 1949, when the secretary of the Navy (and the secretaries of the [[United States Secretary of the Army|Army]] and [[United States Secretary of the Air Force|Air Force]]) were by amendments to the [[National Security Act of 1947]] made subordinate to the [[United States Secretary of Defense|secretary of defense]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Guide to Federal Records – General Records of the Department of the Navy, 1798–1947 |url=https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/080.html#80.1 |access-date=2007-09-23 |archive-date=17 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917031651/https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/080.html#80.1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On August 7, 2021, [[Carlos Del Toro]] was confirmed as secretary of the Navy.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Quinn |first1=Melissa |last2=Segers |first2=Grace |date=January 20, 2021 |title=Who is leading federal agencies until Senate confirms Biden's nominees |publisher=[[CBS News]] |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-agencies-biden-nominees-confirmation/ |access-date=2021-01-20 |archive-date=21 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121005304/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-agencies-biden-nominees-confirmation/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

From 2001 to 2019, proposals to rename the Department of the Navy to the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps, which would have also renamed the secretary of the Navy to the '''secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps''', were introduced with wide support in the [[United States Congress]], but failed due to the opposition of Senator and retired U.S. Navy officer [[John McCain]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2016/05/02/congressman-i-ll-keep-fighting-like-a-bulldog-to-rename-the-navy-department-for-marines/ |first1=Lance M. |last1=Bacon |title=Congressman: I'll 'keep fighting like a bulldog' to rename the Navy Department for Marines |publisher=Marine Corps Times |date=2016-05-02 |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=13 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213202243/https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2016/05/02/congressman-i-ll-keep-fighting-like-a-bulldog-to-rename-the-navy-department-for-marines/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Responsibilities==
The Department of the Navy (DoN) consists of two [[Uniformed services of the United States|uniformed services]]: the [[United States Navy]] and the [[United States Marine Corps]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Responsibilities |website=The US Navy |url=http://www.navy.mil/navydata/leadership/secnav_resp.asp |access-date=2007-09-23 |archive-date=17 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217101424/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/leadership/secnav_resp.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> The secretary of the Navy is responsible for, and has statutory authority ({{UnitedStatesCode|10|8013}}) to "conduct all the affairs of the Department of the Navy", i.e. as its chief executive officer, subject to the limits of the law, and the directions of the president and the secretary of defense. In effect, all authority within the Navy and Marine Corps, unless specifically exempted by law, is derivative of the authority vested in the secretary of the Navy.

Specifically enumerated responsibilities of the SECNAV in the aforementioned section are: recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training, mobilizing, and demobilizing. The secretary also oversees the construction, outfitting, and repair of naval ships, equipment, and facilities. SECNAV is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies and programs that are consistent with the national security policies and objectives established by the president or the secretary of defense.<ref>{{cite web |title=10 U.S. Code § 8013 – Secretary of the Navy |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/8013 |website=LII |access-date=2022-12-13 |archive-date=28 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028005118/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/8013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |work=U.S. Navy Biographies |title= The Honorable Donald C. Winter |url=http://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/bio.asp?bioID=325 |date=3 January 2006  |access-date=2007-09-23 |archive-date=12 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070912145321/https://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/bio.asp?bioID=325 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The secretary of the Navy is a member of the [[Defense Acquisition Board]] (DAB), chaired by the [[Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment|Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics]]. Furthermore, the secretary has several statutory responsibilities under the [[Uniform Code of Military Justice]] (UCMJ) with respect to the administration of the military justice system for the Navy & the Marine Corps, including the authority to convene general courts-martial and to commute sentences.

The principal military advisers to the SECNAV are the two service chiefs of the naval services: for matters regarding the Navy the [[Chief of Naval Operations|chief of naval operations]] (CNO), and for matters regarding the Marine Corps the [[Commandant of the United States Marine Corps|commandant of the Marine Corps]] (CMC). The CNO and the Commandant act as the principal executive agents of the SECNAV within their respective services to implement the orders of the secretary.

===Navy Regulations===
The [[United States Navy Regulations]] is the principal regulatory document of the Department of the Navy, and all changes to it must be approved by the secretary of the Navy.

===U.S. Coast Guard===
Whenever the [[United States Coast Guard]] operates as a service within the Department of the Navy, the secretary of the Navy has the same powers and duties with respect to the Coast Guard as the [[United States Secretary of Homeland Security|secretary of homeland security]] when the Coast Guard is not operating as a service in the Department of the Navy.<ref>{{cite web |title=10 U.S. Code § 8013a – Secretary of the Navy: powers with respect to Coast Guard |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/8013a |access-date=2022-12-13 |archive-date=13 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221213082751/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/8013a |url-status=live }}</ref>

==The Navy Secretariat==
The '''Office of the Secretary of the Navy''', also known within DoD as the ''Navy Secretariat'' or simply just as the ''Secretariat'' in a DoN setting, is the immediate headquarters staff that supports the secretary in discharging his duties. The principal officials of the Secretariat include the [[United States Under Secretary of the Navy|under secretary of the Navy]] (the secretary's principal civilian deputy), the [[Assistant Secretary of the Navy|assistant secretaries of the Navy]] (ASN), the [[General Counsel of the Navy|general counsel of the Navy]], the [[Judge Advocate General of the Navy|judge advocate general of the Navy]] (JAG), the [[Naval Inspector General|Naval inspector general]] (NIG), the [[Office of Legislative Affairs (United States Navy)|chief of Legislative Affairs]], and the [[Chief of Naval Research|chief of naval research]]. The Office of the Secretary of the Navy has sole responsibility within the Department of the Navy for acquisition, auditing, financial and information management, legislative affairs, and public affairs.<ref>{{cite web |title=10 U.S. Code § 8014 – Office of the Secretary of the Navy |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/8014 |access-date=2022-12-13 |archive-date=13 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221213082753/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/8014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Pursuant to SecNavInst 5090.5F, the Department of the Navy ''Environmental Programs Manual'', the secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations recognize a number of commands annually for achievements in such areas as [[environmental quality]], [[Environmental remediation|environmental cleanup]], [[Conservation in the United States|natural resources conservation]], [[cultural resources management]], [[Pollution prevention in the US|pollution prevention]], and [[recycling]].<ref name="usn">{{Cite web |url=http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/navy/docs/surftraman1.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=4 December 2022 |archive-date=1 April 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030401081118/http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/navy/docs/surftraman1.pdf |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> 

The chief of naval operations and the commandant of the Marine Corps have their own separate staffs, the ''[[Office of the Chief of Naval Operations]]'' (also known by its acronym OPNAV) and ''[[Headquarters Marine Corps]]''.

==Secretaries of the Navy==
{{legend|#E6E6AA|Denotes [[acting (law)|acting]] secretaries|border=black}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Department of the Navy, Office of the General Counsel (DON-OGC) – OGC History |url=http://ogc.navy.mil/ogchistory.asp |access-date=2007-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070724110938/http://ogc.navy.mil/ogchistory.asp |archive-date=2007-07-24}}</ref>

===Continental Congress===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Position
!Portrait
!Name
!Term of office
|-
|Chairman of the Marine Committee 
|[[File:Gilbert Stuart, John Adams, c. 1800-1815, NGA 42933.jpg|90x90px]]
|[[John Adams]]
|13 October 1775 – 1779  
|-
|Member of the Marine Committee 
|[[File:John langdon.jpg|75px]]
|[[John Langdon (politician)|John Langdon]]
|13 October 1775–?
|-
|Member of the Marine Committee 
|[[File:Silas Deane - Du Simitier and B.L. Prevost.jpg|75px]]
|[[Silas Deane]]
|13 October 1775–?
|-
|Member of the Marine Committee 
|[[File:Joseph Hewes.png|101x101px]]
|[[Joseph Hewes]]
|1775<ref>[http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/j4/joseph_hewes.htm Joseph Hewes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510095026/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/j4/joseph_hewes.htm |date=10 May 2013 }}. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval Historical and Heritage Command.</ref>
|-
|Continental Navy Board<br>(under Marine Committee)
|
|
|6 November 1776 – 28 October 1779
|-
|Chairman of the Continental Board of Admiralty
|[[File:Francis Lewis.jpg|75px]]
|[[Francis Lewis]]
|December 1779 – 1780    
|-
|Secretary of Marine
|[[File:AlexanderMcdougall.jpg|75px]]
|[[Alexander McDougall]]
|7 February 1781 – 29 August 1781 
|-
|Agent of Marine<br>(devolved onto [[Superintendent of Finance of the United States|Superintendent of Finance]]) 
|[[File:Robert Morris by Charles Willson Peale, c. 1782 (New Orleans Mus of Art 78.2) - wide crop.jpg|91x91px]]
|[[Robert Morris (financier)|Robert Morris]]
|29 August 1781 – 1784<ref>Benson J. Lossing.  [http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/Our_Country_vol_2/continenta_bce.html Household History for All Readers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630023603/http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/Our_Country_vol_2/continenta_bce.html |date=30 June 2016 }}. 1877. Republished in Our Country vol. 2</ref> 
|}
 
''(Post of Secretary of Marine created but remained vacant)''

===Executive Department, 1798–1949===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!No.
!Portrait
!Name
!State
!Term of office
!Served under
|-
|1||[[File:Benjamin Stoddert SecNavy.jpg|75px]]
|[[Benjamin Stoddert]]
|[[Maryland]]
|18 June 1798 – 31 March 1801
|[[John Adams]]/[[Thomas Jefferson]]
|-
|2||[[File:Robert Smith SecNavy.jpg|75px]]
|[[Robert Smith (Cabinet member)|Robert Smith]]
|Maryland
|27 July 1801 – 4 March 1809
|Thomas Jefferson
|-
|3||[[File:Paul Hamilton SecNavy.jpeg|75px]]
|[[Paul Hamilton (politician)|Paul Hamilton]]
|[[South Carolina]]
|15 May 1809 – 31 December 1812
|rowspan=3 |[[James Madison]]
|-
|4||[[File:William-Jones.jpg|75px]]
|[[William Jones (statesman)|William Jones]]
|[[Pennsylvania]]
|19 January 1813 – 1 December 1814
|-
|rowspan=2 |5
|rowspan=2 |[[File:BWCrowninshield.jpg|75px]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Benjamin Williams Crowninshield|Benjamin W. Crowninshield]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Massachusetts]]
|rowspan=2 |16 January 1815 – 30 September 1818
|- style="height: 45px"
|rowspan=3 |[[James Monroe]]
|-
|6||[[File:SmithThompson.jpg|75px]]
|[[Smith Thompson]]
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|1 January 1819 – 31 August 1823
|-
|rowspan=2 |7
|rowspan=2 |[[File:Samuel L. Southard SecNavy.jpg|75px]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Samuel L. Southard]]
|rowspan=2 |[[New Jersey]]
|rowspan=2 |16 September 1823 – 4 March 1829
|- style="height: 45px"
|[[John Quincy Adams]]
|-
|8||[[File:JohnBranch2.jpg|75px]]
|[[John Branch]]
|[[North Carolina]]
|9 March 1829 – 12 May 1831
|rowspan=3 |[[Andrew Jackson]]
|-
|9||[[File:Levi Woodbury.jpg|75px]]
|[[Levi Woodbury]]
|[[New Hampshire]]
|23 May 1831 – 30 June 1834
|-
|rowspan=2 |10
|rowspan=2 |[[File:Mahlon Dickerson.jpg|75px]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Mahlon Dickerson]]
|rowspan=2 |New Jersey
|rowspan=2 |1 July 1834 – 30 June 1838
|- style="height: 45px"
|rowspan=2 |[[Martin Van Buren]]
|-
|11
|[[File:JKPaulding.jpg|75px]]
|[[James K. Paulding]]
|New York
|1 July 1838 – 4 March 1841
|-
|rowspan=2 |12
|rowspan=2 |[[File:George Edmund Badger, half-length portrait, facing three-quarters to left (cropped).jpg|95x95px]]
|rowspan=2 |[[George E. Badger]]
|rowspan=2 |North Carolina
|rowspan=2 |6 March 1841 – 11 September 1841
|[[William Henry Harrison]]
|- style="height: 45px"
|rowspan=5 |[[John Tyler]]
|-
|13||[[File:Abel P. Upshur SecNavy.jpg|75px]]
|[[Abel P. Upshur]]
|[[Virginia]]
|11 October 1841 – 23 July 1843
|-
|14||[[File:David Henshaw SecNavy.jpg|75px]]
|[[David Henshaw (American politician)|David Henshaw]]
|Massachusetts
|24 July 1843 – 18 February 1844
|-
|15||[[File:Thomas Gilmer newer.jpeg|75px]]
|[[Thomas W. Gilmer]]
|Virginia
|19 February 1844 – 28 February 1844
|-
|16||[[File:JYMason.jpg|75px]]
|[[John Y. Mason]]
|Virginia
|26 March 1844 – 4 March 1845
|-
|17||[[File:George Bancroft United States Secretary of Navy c. 1860.jpg|75px]]
|[[George Bancroft]]
|Massachusetts
|11 March 1845 – 9 September 1846
|rowspan=2 |[[James K. Polk]]
|-
|18||[[File:JYMason.jpg|75px]]
|[[John Y. Mason]]
|Virginia
|10 September 1846 – 4 March 1849
|-
|19||[[File:WmBdPreston.jpg|75px]]
|[[William B. Preston]]
|Virginia
|8 March 1849 – 22 July 1850
|[[Zachary Taylor]]
|-
|20||[[File:William Alexander Graham - Brady-Handy.jpg|75px]]
|[[William Alexander Graham|William A. Graham]]
|North Carolina
|2 August 1850 – 25 July 1852
|rowspan=2 |[[Millard Fillmore]]
|-
|21||[[File:John Pendleton Kennedy Smithosonian 1.jpg|88x88px]]
|[[John P. Kennedy]]
|Maryland
|26 July 1852 – 4 March 1853
|-
|22||[[File:James Cochran Dobbin, attributed to John Cranch, c. 1845, oil on canvas, from the National Portrait Gallery - NPG-9300792A.jpg|92x92px]]
|[[James C. Dobbin]]
|North Carolina
|8 March 1853 – 4 March 1857
|[[Franklin Pierce]]
|-
|23||[[File:Isaac Toucey - Brady-Handy.jpg|75px]]
|[[Isaac Toucey]]
|[[Connecticut]]
|7 March 1857 – 4 March 1861
|[[James Buchanan]]
|-
|rowspan=2 |24
|rowspan=2 |[[File:Gideon Welles cph.3b20114 (3x4a).jpg|100x100px]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Gideon Welles]]
|rowspan=2 |Connecticut
|rowspan=2 |7 March 1861 – 4 March 1869
|Abraham Lincoln
|- style="height: 45px"
|[[Andrew Johnson]]
|-
|25||[[File:Adolph Borie, Brady-Handy bw photo portrait, ca1860-1875.jpg|75px]]
|[[Adolph E. Borie]]
|Pennsylvania
|9 March 1869 – 25 June 1869
|rowspan=2 |[[Ulysses S. Grant]]
|-
|26||[[File:George Robeson 1865 1880.jpg|75px]]
|[[George M. Robeson]]
|New Jersey
|26 June 1869 – 4 March 1877
|- 
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:William Faxon.jpg|103x103px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[William Faxon]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|4 March 1877 – 13 March 1877
|rowspan=3 |[[Rutherford B. Hayes]]
|-
|27||[[File:RWThompson.jpg|75px]]
|[[Richard W. Thompson]]
|[[Indiana]]
|13 March 1877 – 20 December 1880
|-
|28||[[File:Nathan Goff, Jr. - Brady-Handy.jpg|75px]]
|[[Nathan Goff Jr.]]
|[[West Virginia]]
|7 January 1881 – 4 March 1881
|-
|rowspan=2 |29
|rowspan=2 |[[File:William-Henry-Hunt.jpg|75px]]
|rowspan=2 |[[William H. Hunt]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Louisiana]]
|rowspan=2 |7 March 1881 – 16 April 1882
|[[James A. Garfield]]
|-
|rowspan=2 |[[Chester A. Arthur]]
|-
|30||[[File:Wm Eaton Chandler (1).jpg|100x100px]]
|[[William E. Chandler]]
|New Hampshire
|16 April 1882 – 4 March 1885
|-
|31||[[File:William Collins Whitney by Charles Milton Bell c1892.jpg|75px]]
|[[William C. Whitney]]
|New York
|7 March 1885 – 4 March 1889
|[[Grover Cleveland]]
|-
|32||[[File:BFTracy.jpg|75px]]
|[[Benjamin F. Tracy]]
|New York
|6 March 1889 – 4 March 1893
|[[Benjamin Harrison]]
|-
|33||[[File:Hilary A. Herbert.jpg|75px]]
|[[Hilary A. Herbert]]
|[[Alabama]]
|7 March 1893 – 4 March 1897
|Grover Cleveland
|-
|rowspan=2 |34
|rowspan=2 |[[File:JDLong.jpg|75px]]
|rowspan=2 |[[John Davis Long]]
|rowspan=2 |Massachusetts
|rowspan=2 |6 March 1897 – 30 April 1902
|[[William McKinley]]
|-
|rowspan=6 |Theodore Roosevelt
|-
|35||[[File:WHMoody.jpg|75px]]
|[[William Henry Moody|William H. Moody]]
|Massachusetts
|1 May 1902 – 30 June 1904
|-
|36||[[File:Paul Morton.jpg|75px]]
|[[Paul Morton (politician)|Paul Morton]]
|[[Illinois]]
|1 July 1904 – 30 June 1905
|-
|37||[[File:CJBonaparte.jpg|75px]]
|[[Charles Joseph Bonaparte|Charles J. Bonaparte]]
|Maryland
|1 July 1905 – 16 December 1906
|-
|38||[[File:Victor H Metcalf 002.jpg|97x97px]]
|[[Victor H. Metcalf]]
|[[California]]
|17 December 1906 – 30 November 1908
|-
|39||[[File:Truman Handy Newberry (cropped).jpg|75px]]
|[[Truman Handy Newberry]]
|[[Michigan]]
|1 December 1908 – 4 March 1909
|-
|40||[[File:Portrait of George von Lengerke Meyer.jpg|113x113px]]
|[[George von Lengerke Meyer]]
|Massachusetts
|6 March 1909 – 4 March 1913
|[[William Howard Taft]]
|-
|41||[[File:Josephus Daniels 1.jpg|75px]]
|[[Josephus Daniels]]
|North Carolina
|5 March 1913 – 4 March 1921
|[[Woodrow Wilson]]
|-
|rowspan=2 |42
|rowspan=2 |[[File:ECDenby.jpg|75px]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Edwin Denby (politician)|Edwin Denby]]
|rowspan=2 |Michigan
|rowspan=2 |6 March 1921 – 10 March 1924
|[[Warren G. Harding]]
|-
|rowspan=3 |[[Calvin Coolidge]]
|- 
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:LC-DIG-ggbain-37582.jpg|97x97px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[Theodore Roosevelt Jr.]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|10 March 1924 – 19 March 1924
|-
|43||[[File:Curtis D. Wilbur, (3-24-24) LOC npcc.10863 (cropped).jpg|107x107px]]
|[[Curtis D. Wilbur]]
|California
|19 March 1924 – 4 March 1929
|-
|44||[[File:Charles Francis AdamsⅢ.jpg|94x94px]]
|[[Charles Francis Adams III]]
|Massachusetts
|5 March 1929 – 4 March 1933
|[[Herbert Hoover]]
|-
|45||[[File:SWANSON, CLAUDE. HONORABLE LCCN2016856629 (3x4a).jpg|100x100px]]
|[[Claude A. Swanson]]
|Virginia
|4 March 1933 – 7 July 1939
|rowspan=7 |[[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]
|-
|rowspan=2 |46
|rowspan=2 |[[File:Charles Edison.jpg|75px]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Charles Edison]]
|rowspan=2 |New Jersey
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|7 July 1939 – 2 January 1940
|-
|2 January 1940 – 24 June 1940
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:Lewis Compton (Assistant Secretary of the Navy).jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[Lewis Compton]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|24 June 1940 – 11 July 1940
|-
|47
|[[File:Fknox.jpg|75px]]
|[[Frank Knox]]
|Illinois
|11 July 1940 – 28 April 1944
|-  
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:Ralph A. Bard cph.3a40857.jpg|94x94px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[Ralph Austin Bard]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|28 April 1944 – 19 May 1944
|-
| rowspan="3" |48
| rowspan="3" |[[File:James Forrestal - SecOfDef.jpg|75px]]
| rowspan="3" |[[James Forrestal]]
| rowspan="3" |New York
| rowspan="3" |19 May 1944 – 17 September 1947
|-
|Franklin D. Roosevelt
|-
| rowspan="3" |Harry S. Truman
|-
|49
|[[File:John L Sullivan SecofNavy.jpg|75px]]
|[[John L. Sullivan (United States Navy)|John L. Sullivan]]
|New Hampshire
|18 September 1947 – 24 May 1949
|-
|50
|[[File:Francis P. Matthews.jpg|75px]]
|[[Francis P. Matthews]]
|[[Nebraska]]
|25 May 1949 – 10 August 1949 
|}
<small>{{legend|#E6E6AA|Denotes an ''[[acting (law)|Acting]] United States Secretary of the Navy''|border=black}}</small>

===Military Department (Department of Defense), 1949–present===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!rowspan=2 |No.
!rowspan=2 |Portrait
!rowspan=2 |Name
!colspan=3 |Term of office
!colspan=2 |Served under
|-
!Began
!Ended
!Days of service
![[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary]]
![[President of the United States|President]]
|-
|50
|[[File:Francis P. Matthews.jpg|75px]]
|Francis P. Matthews
|10 August 1949
|31 July 1951
|{{age in days|1949|5|25|1951|7|31}}
|[[Louis A. Johnson]]<br>[[George C. Marshall]]
|rowspan=2 |Harry S. Truman
|-
|51
|[[File:DanAKimball.jpg|75px]]
|[[Dan A. Kimball]]
|31 July 1951
|20 January 1953
|{{age in days|1951|7|31|1953|1|20}}
|George C. Marshall<br>[[Robert A. Lovett]]
|-
|52
|[[File:80-G-K-14927 Robert B. Anderson.jpg|95x95px]]
|[[Robert B. Anderson (Texas politician)|Robert B. Anderson]]
|4 February 1953
|3 March 1954
|{{age in days|1953|2|4|1954|3|3}}
|rowspan=2 |[[Charles Erwin Wilson|Charles E. Wilson]]
|rowspan=4 |Dwight D. Eisenhower
|-
|53
|[[File:CharlesSThomas Cropped.jpg|75px]]
|[[Charles Thomas (Secretary of the Navy)|Charles Thomas]]
|3 May 1954
|1 April 1957
|{{age in days|1954|5|3|1957|4|1}}
|-
|54
|[[File:Thomas S Gates Jr..jpg|96x96px]]
|[[Thomas S. Gates Jr.]]
|1 April 1957
|8 June 1959
|{{age in days|1957|4|1|1959|6|8}}
|Charles E. Wilson<br>[[Neil H. McElroy]]
|-
|55
|[[File:K-19407 William B. Franke official portrait (cropped).jpg|75px]]
|[[William B. Franke]]
|8 June 1959
|19 January 1961
|{{age in days|1959|6|8|1961|1|19}}
|Neil H. McElroy<br>[[Thomas S. Gates, Jr.]]
|-
|56
|[[File:John Connally.jpg|75px]]
|[[John Connally]]
|25 January 1961
|20 December 1961
|{{age in days|1961|1|25|1961|12|20}}
|rowspan=5 |[[Robert McNamara]]
|rowspan=2 |[[John F. Kennedy]]
|-
|57
|[[File:FredKorth.jpg|75px]]
|[[Fred Korth]]
|4 January 1962
|1 November 1963
|{{age in days|1962|1|4|1963|11|1}}
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:PaulBFay.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[Paul B. Fay]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|2 November 1963
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|28 November 1963
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|1963|11|2|1963|11|28}}
|John F. Kennedy<br>Lyndon B. Johnson
|-
|58
|[[File:Nitze, Paul.jpg|95x95px]]
|[[Paul Nitze]]
|29 November 1963
|30 June 1967
|{{age in days|1963|11|29|1967|6|30}}
|rowspan=2 |Lyndon B. Johnson
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[Charles F. Baird]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|1 July 1967
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|31 August 1967
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|1967|7|1|1967|8|31}}
|-
|59
|[[File:Ignatius, Paul Robert.jpg|75px]]
|[[Paul Ignatius]]
|1 September 1967
|24 January 1969
|{{age in days|1967|9|1|1969|1|24}}
|Robert McNamara<br>[[Clark Clifford]]<br>[[Melvin Laird]]
|Lyndon B. Johnson<br>[[Richard Nixon]]
|-
|60
|[[File:J.L. 3814 John H. Chafee, 1969 (cropped)-2.jpg|94x94px]]
|[[John Chafee]]
|31 January 1969
|4 May 1972
|{{age in days|1969|1|31|1972|5|4}}
|Melvin Laird
|rowspan=2 |Richard Nixon
|-
|61
|[[File:John W Warner Sec of Navy.jpg|75px]]
|[[John Warner]]
|4 May 1972
|8 April 1974
|{{age in days|1972|5|4|1974|4|8}}
|Melvin Laird<br>[[Elliot Richardson]]<br>[[James R. Schlesinger]]
|-
|62
|[[File:John William Middendorf (1969).jpg|99x99px]]
|[[J. William Middendorf]]
|8 April 1974
|20 January 1977
|{{age in days|1974|4|8|1977|1|20}}
|James R. Schlesinger<br>Donald Rumsfeld
|Richard Nixon<br>[[Gerald Ford]]
|-
|63
|[[File:W. Graham Claytor 1984.jpg|75x75px]]
|[[W. Graham Claytor Jr.]]
|14 February 1977
|24 August 1979
|{{age in days|1977|2|14|1979|8|24}}
|rowspan=2 |[[Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense)|Harold Brown]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Jimmy Carter]]
|-
|64
|[[File:I06944k.jpg|75px]]
|[[Edward Hidalgo]]
|24 October 1979
|20 January 1981
|{{age in days|1979|10|24|1981|1|20}}
|-
|65
|[[File:John Lehman, official photo as Secretary of the Navy, 1982.JPEG|75px]]
|[[John Lehman]]
|5 February 1981
|10 April 1987
|{{age in days|1981|2|5|1987|4|10}}
|[[Caspar Weinberger]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Ronald Reagan]]
|-
|66
|[[File:James Webb, Assistant Secretary of Defense, official photo.JPEG|75px]]
|[[Jim Webb]]
|1 May 1987
|23 February 1988
|{{age in days|1987|5|1|1988|2|23}}
|Caspar Weinberger<br>[[Frank Carlucci]]
|-
|67
|[[File:Secretary of the Navy William Ball.jpg|75px]]
|[[William L. Ball]]
|28 March 1988
|15 May 1989
|{{age in days|1988|3|28|1989|5|15}}
|Frank Carlucci<br>[[Dick Cheney|Richard B. Cheney]]
|Ronald Reagan<br>[[George H. W. Bush]]
|-
|68
|[[File:Henry Lawrence Garrett III, official Navy photo, 1987.jpg|75px]]
|[[Henry L. Garrett III]]
|15 May 1989
|26 June 1992
|{{age in days|1989|5|15|1992|6|26}}
|rowspan=4 |Richard B. Cheney
|rowspan=4 |George H. W. Bush
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:J. Daniel Howard, Under Secretary of the Navy (2).jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[J. Daniel Howard|Daniel Howard]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|26 June 1992
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|7 July 1992
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|1992|6|26|1992|7|7}}
|-
|rowspan=2 |69
|rowspan=2 |[[File:Sean O'Keefe, official Navy photo, 1992.jpg|75px]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Sean O'Keefe]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|7 July 1992
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|2 October 1992
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|1992|7|7|1992|10|2}}
|-
|2 October 1992
|20 January 1993
|{{age in days|1992|10|2|1993|1|20}}
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:Admiral Frank Kelso, official military photo.JPEG|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|Admiral [[Frank Kelso|Frank B. Kelso II]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|20 January 1993
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|21 July 1993
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|1993|1|20|1993|7|21}}
|[[Les Aspin]]
|rowspan=3 |[[Bill Clinton]]
|-
|70
|[[File:DaltonJohn.jpg|75px]]
|[[John H. Dalton]]
|22 July 1993
|16 November 1998
|{{age in days|1993|7|22|1998|11|16}}
|Les Aspin<br>[[William J. Perry]]<br>[[William Cohen]]
|-
|71
|[[File:Richard Danzig, official Navy photo.jpg|75px]]
|[[Richard Danzig]]
|16 November 1998
|20 January 2001
|{{age in days|1998|11|16|2001|1|20}}
|William Cohen
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:Robert Pirie, official photo portrait, circa 2001.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[Robert B. Pirie Jr.]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|20 January 2001
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|24 May 2001
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|2001|1|20|2001|5|24}}
|rowspan=6 |Donald Rumsfeld
|rowspan=6 |[[George W. Bush]]
|-
|72<!-- Gordon R. England was sworn in as the 72nd and 73rd Secretary of the Navy -->
|[[File:Gordon England portrait.jpg|75px]]
|[[Gordon R. England]]
|24 May 2001
|30 January 2003
|{{age in days|2001|5|24|2003|1|30}}
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:US Navy 030202-N-0000X-001 Under Secretary of the Navy.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[Susan Livingstone]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|30 January 2003
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|7 February 2003
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|2003|1|30|2003|2|7}}
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:US Navy 030402-N-0000X-001 Secretary of the Navy Hansford T. Johnson (Acting).jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[Hansford T. Johnson]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|7 February 2003
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|30 September 2003
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|2003|2|7|2003|9|30}}
|-
|73<!-- Gordon R. England was sworn in as the 72nd and 73rd Secretary of the Navy -->
|[[File:Gordon England portrait.jpg|75px]]
|Gordon R. England
|1 October 2003
|29 December 2005<ref name="aviles">{{cite web|author=Staff reporter|title=Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Relinquishes Top Navy Post|publisher=American Forces Press Service|date=29 December 2005|url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=18435|access-date=18 May 2009|quote=Navy Undersecretary Dionel M. Aviles will serve as acting Navy secretary effective today. Donald Winter, who was confirmed by the Senate last month, will be sworn in as the 74th secretary of the Navy on Jan. 3.|archive-date=27 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527042630/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=45422|url-status=live}}</ref>
|{{age in days|2003|10|1|2005|12|29}}
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:AvilesDionel.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[Dionel M. Aviles]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|29 December 2005<ref name="aviles"/> 
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|3 January 2006<ref name="aviles"/>
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|2005|12|29|2006|1|3}}
|-
|74
|[[File:Donald Winter, official photo as Secretary of the Navy, 2006.jpg|75px]]
|[[Donald C. Winter]]
|3 January 2006<ref name="aviles"/> 
|13 March 2009<ref name="resign">{{cite press release|title=Navy Secretary Departs Office|publisher=United States Department of Defense|date=13 March 2009|url=http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12554|access-date=18 May 2009|quote=The 74th Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter, resigned his office today as planned. Winter had agreed to remain in office until March 13, 2009, to ease the transition of the Department of Defense. [...] BJ Penn will be the acting Secretary of the Navy until the Senate confirms a nominee chosen by President Barack Obama.|archive-date=9 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509020548/http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12554|url-status=live}}</ref>
|{{age in days|2006|1|3|2009|3|13}}
|Donald Rumsfeld<br>[[Robert Gates]]
|George W. Bush<br>[[Barack Obama]]
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:PennBJ.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[B. J. Penn (United States Navy)|B. J. Penn]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|13 March 2009<ref name="resign"/> 
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|19 May 2009<ref name="ray">{{cite web|author=Staff reporter|title=Mabus Sworn in as New Navy Secretary|publisher=NNS|date=19 May 2005|url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=18435|access-date=20 May 2009|quote=Ray Mabus, former Mississippi governor and U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was sworn in May 19 as the 75th secretary of the Navy.|archive-date=27 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527042630/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=45422|url-status=live}} (Archived by WebCite at [https://web.archive.org/web/20090527042630/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=45422 WebCite])</ref>
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|2009|3|13|2009|5|19}}
|Robert Gates
|rowspan=2 |Barack Obama
|-
|75
|[[File:SECNAV-Mabus-OfficialPhoto2-2014.jpg|75px]]
|[[Ray Mabus]]
|19 May 2009<ref name="resign"/> 
|20 January 2017
|{{age in days|2009|5|19|2017|1|20}}
|Robert Gates<br>[[Leon Panetta]]<br>[[Chuck Hagel]]<br>[[Ash Carter]]
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:Sean J. Stackley.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[Sean Stackley]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|20 January 2017
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|3 August 2017
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|2017|1|20|2017|8|3}}
||[[Jim Mattis]]
|rowspan=7 |[[Donald Trump]]
|-
|76
|[[File:Richard V. Spencer.jpg|75px]]
|[[Richard V. Spencer]]
|3 August 2017
|15 July 2019
|{{age in days|2017|8|3|2019|7|15}}
||Jim Mattis<br>[[Patrick M. Shanahan]] (Acting)<br>[[Mark Esper]] (Acting)
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:Thomas B. Modly.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[Thomas Modly]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|15 July 2019
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|31 July 2019
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|2019|7|15|2019|7|31}}
|| [[Richard V. Spencer]] (Acting)<br>Mark Esper 
|-
|76
|[[File:Richard V. Spencer.jpg|75px]]
|Richard V. Spencer
|31 July 2019
|24 November 2019
|{{age in days|2019|7|31|2019|11|24}}
|rowspan=4 |Mark Esper
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:Thomas B. Modly.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|Thomas Modly
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|24 November 2019
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|7 April 2020
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|2019|11|24|2020|4|7}}
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:James McPherson Acting Navy Secretary.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[James E. McPherson]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|7 April 2020
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|29 May 2020
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|2020|4|7|2020|5|29}}
|-
|77
|[[File:Kenneth J. Braithwaite II official photo.jpg|75px]]
|[[Kenneth Braithwaite]]
|29 May 2020<ref>{{cite web|title=Kenneth Braithwaite Sworn in as Secretary of the Navy|url=https://news.usni.org/2020/05/29/kenneth-braithwaite-sworn-in-as-secretary-of-the-navy|date=2020-05-29|website=USNI News|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-30|archive-date=3 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603165808/https://news.usni.org/2020/05/29/kenneth-braithwaite-sworn-in-as-secretary-of-the-navy|url-status=live}}</ref>
|20 January 2021
|{{age in days|2020|5|29|2021|1|20}}
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{small|(acting)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[File:Thomas W. Harker official photo.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|[[Thomas Harker]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|20 January 2021
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|9 August 2021
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|{{age in days|2021|1|20|2021|8|9}}
|[[David Norquist]] (Acting)<br>[[Lloyd Austin]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Joe Biden]]
|-
|78
|[[File:Carlos Del Toro SECNAV portrait.jpg|75px]]
|[[Carlos Del Toro]]
|9 August 2021
|Incumbent
|{{age in days|2021|8|9}}
|Lloyd Austin
|}
<small>{{legend|#E6E6AA|Denotes an ''[[acting (law)|Acting]] United States Secretary of the Navy''|border=black}}</small>

==See also==
* [[Military awards of the United States Department of the Navy]]
* [[Secretary of the Navy Council of Review Boards]]
* [[Stephen Mallory]], the only [[Confederate States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] of the [[Confederate States of America]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|United States Secretaries of the Navy}}
* {{Official website|http://www.secnav.navy.mil}}

{{USSecNavy}}
{{Current US Department of Defense Secretaries}}
{{US Department of Defense Secretaries}}
{{US Cabinet leaders}}
{{US military navbox}}
{{US Navy navbox}}
{{US Marine Corps navbox}}
{{Government of the United States under the Articles of Confederation}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Secretary Of The Navy}}
[[Category:Former United States Executive Cabinet positions|Navy]]
[[Category:Lists of members of the Cabinet of the United States|Navy]]
[[Category:Office of the Secretary of the Navy|*S]]
[[Category:United States Navy civilians|*Secretary of the Navy]]
[[Category:United States secretaries of the navy| ]]