View source for White House Chief of Staff

{{Short description|U.S. presidential appointee}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = White House Chief of Staff
| body = 
| insignia = US-WhiteHouse-Logo.svg
| insigniasize = 175
| insigniacaption = 
| image = Jeff Zients, WHCOS.jpg
| incumbent = [[Jeff Zients]]
| incumbentsince = February 8, 2023
| acting = 
| department = [[Executive Office of the President]]<br/>[[White House Office]]
| reports_to = [[President of the United States]]
| appointer = President of the United States
| first = [[John R. Steelman]]
| formation = 1946 (Assistant to the President)<br />1961 (White House Chief of Staff)
| website = {{URL|www.whitehouse.gov}}
}}
[[File:P20210824AS-0004 (51644632161).jpg|thumb|President Joe Biden walks with Chief of Staff [[Ron Klain]] along the Colonnade of the White House.]]
[[File:Jimmy Carter meets with Jack Watson, cabinet secretary, in the Oval Office - NARA - 176952.jpg|thumb|Chief of Staff [[Jack Watson (presidential adviser)|Jack Watson]] (1980–1981) meets with President [[Jimmy Carter]] in the [[Oval Office]].]]
[[File:George H. W. Bush on telephone.jpg|thumb|President [[George H. W. Bush]] sits at his desk in the [[Oval Office Study]] as Chief of Staff [[John H. Sununu|John Sununu]] stands nearby.]]
[[File:Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks into the Oval Office as President Donald Trump reads over his notes, March 2017.jpg|thumb|Chief of Staff [[Reince Priebus]] looks into the Oval Office as President [[Donald J. Trump]] reads over his notes.]]
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
[[File:Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel in the Oval Office 10-2009.jpg|thumb|President [[Barack Obama]] meets with White House Chief of Staff [[Rahm Emanuel]] in the [[Oval Office]].]]
The '''White House Chief of Staff''' is the head of the [[Executive Office of the President of the United States]], a cabinet position in the federal government of the United States.

The chief of staff is a [[Political appointments in the United States|political appointee]] of the [[president of the United States]] who does not require [[Advice and consent|Senate confirmation]], and who serves at the pleasure of the President. While not a legally required role, all presidents since [[Harry S. Truman]] have appointed a chief of staff.

In the administration of [[Joe Biden]], the current chief of staff is [[Jeff Zients]], who succeeded [[Ron Klain]] on February 8, 2023. The chief of staff is the most senior political appointee in the White House. 
The position is widely recognized as one of great power and influence, owing to daily contact with the president of the United States and control of the [[Executive Office of the President of the United States]].

==Historical background==
Originally, the duties now performed by the chief of staff belonged to the president's [[Secretary to the President of the United States|private secretary]] and were fulfilled by crucial confidantes and policy advisers such as [[George B. Cortelyou]], [[Joseph Patrick Tumulty|Joseph Tumulty]], and [[Louis McHenry Howe]] to presidents [[Theodore Roosevelt]], [[Woodrow Wilson]], and [[Franklin Roosevelt]], respectively.<ref name="Secretary to the President">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,748188-2,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090120082907/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,748188-2,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-01-20|title=New Quarters|date=December 17, 1934|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=2008-05-08}}</ref> The private secretary served as the president's ''de facto'' chief aide, in a role that combined personal and professional assignments of highly delicate and demanding natures, requiring great skill and utmost discretion.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,716345,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222152117/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,716345,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 22, 2008 |title=An Appointment|date=August 20, 1923 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=May 9, 2009}}</ref> The job of gatekeeper and overseeing the president's schedule was separately delegated to the appointments secretary, as with aide [[Edwin "Pa" Watson]].<ref name=FDR>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/offtherecordwith002090mbp|title=Off The Record With FDR 1942–1945|year=1958|first=William D.|last=Hassett|page=36|publisher=[[Rutgers University Press]]|location=Chicago, Illinois|accessdate=2009-05-09}}</ref>

From 1933 to 1939, as he greatly expanded the scope of the federal government's policies and powers in response to the [[Great Depression]], President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] relied on his famous '[[Brain Trust#Roosevelt's "Brain Trust"|Brain Trust]]' of top advisers. Although working directly for the president, they were often appointed to vacant positions in federal agencies and departments, whence they drew their salaries since the [[White House]] lacked statutory or budgetary authority to create staff positions. It was not until 1939, during Roosevelt's second term in office, that the foundations of the modern [[White House staff]] were created using a formal structure. Roosevelt was able to persuade Congress to approve the creation of the [[Executive Office of the President]], which would report directly to the president. During [[World War II]], Roosevelt created the position of "Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief" for his principal military adviser, Fleet Admiral [[William D. Leahy]].{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

In 1946, in response to the rapid growth of the U.S. government's [[executive branch]], the position of "Assistant to the President of the United States" was established. Charged with the affairs of the White House, it was the immediate predecessor to the modern chief of staff. It was in 1953, under [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], that the president's preeminent assistant was designated the "White House Chief of Staff".{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

Assistant to the president became a rank generally shared by the chief of staff along with the other most senior presidential aides such as the [[White House counsel]], the [[White House press secretary]], and others. This new system did not catch on immediately however. Presidents Kennedy and Johnson still relied on their appointments secretaries instead, and it was not until the [[Nixon administration]] that the chief of staff took over maintenance of the President's schedule. This concentration of power in the [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]] and [[Gerald Ford|Ford]] White House (whose last chief of staff was [[Dick Cheney]]) led presidential candidate [[Jimmy Carter]] to campaign in 1976 with the promise that he would not appoint a chief of staff.  And indeed, for the first two and a half years of his presidency, he appointed no one to the post.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/us/21jordan.html |title=Hamilton Jordan, Carter's Right Hand, Dies at 63|date=May 21, 2008|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 7, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cS-MAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA351 |title=The Presidency and the Political System|publisher=SAGE Publications|date=2013|page=351 |author=Michael Nelson|isbn=9781483322896|access-date=March 7, 2016}}</ref>

=== Average tenure in office ===
The average tenure for a White House chief of staff is a little more than 18 months.<ref name=Whipple>Whipple, Chris. (2017). ''The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency.'' New York: [[Crown Publishing Group]].</ref> The inaugural chief of staff, [[John R. Steelman]], under [[Harry S. Truman]], was the president's only chief of staff; [[Kenneth O'Donnell]] alone served in the position during [[John F. Kennedy]]'s unfinished term of 34 months in office. [[Andrew Card]] and [[Denis McDonough]] each served at least one entire presidential ''term of office'' under presidents [[George W. Bush]] and [[Barack Obama]], respectively.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

==Role==

Chris Whipple, author of ''The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency'', loosely describes the role of a White House chief of staff through his interview with former president [[Barack Obama]]: {{blockquote|During the last days of his presidency, Barack Obama observed: 'One of the things I've learned is that the big breakthroughs are typically the result of a lot of grunt work—just a whole lot of blocking and tackling.' Grunt work is what chiefs of staff do.<ref name=Whipple />|Chris Whipple}}

The responsibilities of the chief of staff are both managerial and advisory and may include the following:
*Selecting senior White House staffers and supervising their offices' activities;
*Managing and designing the overall structure of the White House staff system;
*Control the flow of people into the [[Oval Office]];
*Manage the flow of information to and decisions from the [[Resolute desk|Resolute Desk]] (with the [[White House Office of the Staff Secretary|White House staff secretary]]);
*Directing, managing and overseeing all policy development;
*Protecting the political interests of the president;
*Negotiating legislation and appropriating funds with [[United States Congress]] leaders, [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet secretaries]], and extra-governmental political groups to implement the president's agenda; and
*Advise on any and usually various issues set by the president.<ref name="Whipple" />

These responsibilities have recently extended to firing of senior staff members. In the case of [[Omarosa Manigault Newman]], who published a tape she alleged was made in the [[Situation Room]] of her firing by Chief of Staff John Kelly, the chief of staff said that his decision for her departure was non-negotiable and that "the staff and everyone on the staff works for me and not the president."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1808/13/cnr.20.html|title=Transcript|date=August 13, 2018|publisher=CNN}}</ref>

[[Richard Nixon]]'s first chief of staff, [[H. R. Haldeman]], garnered a reputation in Washington for the iron hand he wielded in the position. Famously referring to himself as "the president's son-of-a-bitch", he was a rigid gatekeeper who would frequently meet with administration officials in place of the president, and then report himself to Nixon on the officials' talking points. Journalist [[Bob Woodward]], in his books ''[[All the President's Men]]'' (1974) and ''The Secret Man'' (2005), wrote that many of his sources, including [[Mark Felt]], later revealed as "[[Deep Throat (Watergate)|Deep Throat]]", displayed a genuine fear of Haldeman.<ref>[[Bob Woodward|Woodward, Bob]]; [[Carl Bernstein|Bernstein, Carl]]. (1974) ''[[All the President's Men]]''. New York: [[Simon & Schuster]]. {{ISBN|978-0-671-21781-5}}</ref><ref>Woodward, Bob. (2005). ''The Secret Man''. New York: Simon & Schuster. {{ISBN|0-7432-8715-0}}</ref>

==List of White House chiefs of staff==
{{Officeholder table start
|showorder              = y
|showimage              = y
|officeholder_title     = Name
|showtermlenght         = y
|showcoalition          = n
|showelection           = n
|showaltofficeholder    = y
|alt_officeholder_title = [[President of the United States|President]]
|party_col              = 1
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 1
|image             = Steelman-Conciliation-Service (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[John R. Steelman|John Steelman]]
|officeholder_sort = Steelman, John
|born_year         = 1900
|died_year         = 1999
|term_start        = December 12, 1946
|term_end          = January 20, 1953
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1946|12|12|1953|1|20}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Harry S. Truman]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|2}}
|image             = GLSAAdams (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Sherman Adams]]
|officeholder_sort = Adams, Sherman
|born_year         = 1899
|died_year         = 1986
|term_start        = January 20, 1953
|term_end          = October 7, 1958
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1953|1|20|1958|10|7}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|3}}
|image             = Wilton Persons taking the oath of office (cropped).png |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Wilton Persons]]
|officeholder_sort = Persons, Wilton
|born_year         = 1896
|died_year         = 1977
|term_start        = October 7, 1958
|term_end          = January 20, 1961
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1958|10|7|1961|1|20}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = –
|image             = Kenny O'Donnell (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Kenneth O'Donnell]]
|officeholder_sort = O'Donnell, Kenneth
|officeholder_note = {{efn|name=note|''De facto''}}
|born_year         = 1924
|died_year         = 1977
|term_start        = January 20, 1961
|term_end          = November 22, 1963
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1961|1|20|1963|11|22}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[John F. Kennedy]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = –
|image             = Walter Jenkins 1963 (cropped).jpg|bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Walter Jenkins]]
|officeholder_sort = Jenkins, Walter
|officeholder_note = {{efn|name=note}}
|born_year         = 1918
|died_year         = 1985
|term_start        = November 22, 1963
|term_end          = October 14, 1964
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1963|11|22|1964|10|14}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = –
|image             = Bill Moyers clock 21 July 1965 (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Bill Moyers]]
|officeholder_sort = Moyers, Bill
|officeholder_note = {{efn|name=note}}
|born_year         = 1934
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = October 14, 1964
|term_end          = July 8, 1965
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1964|10|14|1965|7|8}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = –
|image             = Jack Valenti Portrait (cropped).jpeg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Jack Valenti]]
|officeholder_sort = Valenti, Jack
|officeholder_note = {{efn|name=note}}
|born_year         = 1921
|died_year         = 2007
|term_start        = July 8, 1965
|term_end          = June 1, 1966
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1965|7|8|1966|6|1}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = –
|image             = Portrait officiel de W. Marvin Watson (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[W. Marvin Watson|Marvin Watson]]
|officeholder_sort = Watson, Marvin
|officeholder_note = {{efn|name=note}}
|born_year         = 1924
|died_year         = 2017
|term_start        = June 1, 1966
|term_end          = April 26, 1968
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1966|6|1|1968|4|26}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = –
|image             = James Robert Jones (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[James R. Jones]]
|officeholder_sort = Jones, James
|officeholder_note = {{efn|name=note}}
|born_year         = 1939
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = April 26, 1968
|term_end          = January 20, 1969
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1968|4|26|1969|1|20}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|4}}
|image             = H R Haldeman, 1971 portrait (cropped) 2.png |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[H. R. Haldeman]]
|officeholder_sort = Haldeman, Harry
|born_year         = 1926
|died_year         = 1993
|term_start        = January 20, 1969
|term_end          = April 30, 1973
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1969|1|20|1973|4|30}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Richard Nixon]]
}}
|-style="text-align:center;"
|colspan=8 |'''Vacant'''<br>April 30, 1973 – May 4, 1973 ({{ayd|1973|4|30|1973|5|4}})
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|5}}
|image             = Alexander Haig photo portrait as White House Chief of Staff black and white (slightly cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Alexander Haig]]
|officeholder_sort = Haig, Alexander
|born_year         = 1924
|died_year         = 2010
|term_start        = May 4, 1973
|term_end          = September 21, 1974
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1973|5|4|1974|9|21}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Richard Nixon]]
|alt_officeholder2 = [[Gerald Ford]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|6}}
|image             = Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General George S. Brown at a press conference in the Pentagon (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = Donald Rumsfeld
|officeholder_sort = Rumsfeld, Donald
|born_year         = 1932
|died_year         = 2021
|term_start        = September 21, 1974
|term_end          = November 20, 1975
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1974|9|21|1975|11|20}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Gerald Ford]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|7}}
|image             = Richard Cheney with another member of the Ford administration staff at the White House (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Dick Cheney]]
|officeholder_sort = Cheney, Dick
|born_year         = 1941
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = November 20, 1975
|term_end          = January 20, 1977
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1975|11|20|1977|1|20}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Gerald Ford]]
}}
|-style="text-align:center;"
|colspan=8 |'''Vacant'''<br>January 20, 1977 – July 18, 1979 ({{ayd|1977|1|20|1979|7|18}})
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 8
|image             = Hamilton Jordan - NARA - 173802 (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Hamilton Jordan]]
|officeholder_sort = Jordan, Hamilton
|born_year         = 1944
|died_year         = 2008
|term_start        = July 18, 1979
|term_end          = June 11, 1980
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1979|7|18|1980|6|11}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Jimmy Carter]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 9
|image             = Watson 1977 (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Jack Watson (presidential adviser)|Jack Watson]]
|officeholder_sort = Watson, Jack
|born_year         = 1938
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = June 11, 1980
|term_end          = January 20, 1981
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1980|6|11|1981|1|20}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Jimmy Carter]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|10}}
|image             = James Baker, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff ME671-1 (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[James Baker]]
|officeholder_sort = Baker, James
|born_year         = 1930
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = January 20, 1981
|term_end          = February 4, 1985
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1981|1|20|1985|2|4}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Ronald Reagan]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|11}}
|image             = Donald Thomas Regan, Secretary of the Treasury ME352-10 (cropped) 3.jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Donald Regan]]
|officeholder_sort = Regan, Donald
|born_year         = 1918
|died_year         = 2003
|term_start        = February 4, 1985
|term_end          = February 27, 1987
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1985|2|4|1987|2|27}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Ronald Reagan]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|12}}
|image             = Howard Baker 1989 (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Howard Baker]]
|officeholder_sort = Baker, Howard
|born_year         = 1925
|died_year         = 2014
|term_start        = February 27, 1987
|term_end          = July 1, 1988
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1987|2|27|1988|7|1}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Ronald Reagan]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|13}}
|image             = Kenneth Duberstein (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Kenneth Duberstein]]
|officeholder_sort = Duberstein, Kenneth
|born_year         = 1944
|died_year         = 2022
|term_start        = July 1, 1988
|term_end          = January 20, 1989
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1988|7|1|1989|1|20}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Ronald Reagan]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|14}}
|image             = GovJohnSununu1 (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[John H. Sununu|John Sununu]]
|officeholder_sort = Sununu, John
|born_year         = 1939
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = January 20, 1989
|term_end          = December 16, 1991
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1989|1|20|1991|12|16}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[George H. W. Bush]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|15}}
|image             = Samuel K. Skinner (2009-09-10) (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Samuel K. Skinner|Samuel Skinner]]
|officeholder_sort = Skinner, Samuel
|born_year         = 1938
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = December 16, 1991
|term_end          = August 23, 1992
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1991|12|16|1992|8|23}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[George H. W. Bush]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|16}}
|image             = James A. Baker III, U.S. Secretary of State (2380044355) (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[James Baker]]
|officeholder_sort = Baker, James
|born_year         = 1930
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = August 23, 1992
|term_end          = January 20, 1993
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1992|8|23|1993|1|20}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[George H. W. Bush]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 17
|image             = Menem con Thomas McLarty (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Mack McLarty]]
|officeholder_sort = McLarty, Mack
|born_year         = 1946
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = January 20, 1993
|term_end          = July 17, 1994
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1993|1|20|1994|7|17}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Bill Clinton]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 18
|image             = Leon Panetta, informal photo (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Leon Panetta]]
|officeholder_sort = Panetta, Leon
|born_year         = 1938
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = July 17, 1994
|term_end          = January 20, 1997
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1994|7|17|1997|1|20}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Bill Clinton]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 19
|image             = President Obama meets with Fiscal Commission co-chairs Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Erskine Bowles]]
|officeholder_sort = Bowles, Erskine
|born_year         = 1945
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = January 20, 1997
|term_end          = October 20, 1998
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1997|1|20|1998|10|20}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Bill Clinton]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 20
|image             = John Podesta official portrait.jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[John Podesta]]
|officeholder_sort = Podesta, John
|born_year         = 1949
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = October 20, 1998
|term_end          = January 20, 2001
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1998|10|20|2001|1|20}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Bill Clinton]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|21}}
|image             = Andrew Card Visits HUD - DPLA - 7bc5bd60c24e35fa59744b7f7736cb26 (cropped) (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Andrew Card]]
|officeholder_sort = Card, Andrew
|born_year         = 1947
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = January 20, 2001
|term_end          = April 14, 2006
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2001|1|20|2006|4|14}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[George W. Bush]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|22}}
|image             = Assignment- 48-DPA-N OPM Pres Awards) President's Quality Awards 2005 ceremony, (honoring progress made by federal agencies in improving management systems and work processes, at Wa - DPLA - 1a5f294a5afe6060b5f7ec481aa3d2e5 (cropped).JPG |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Joshua Bolten]]
|officeholder_sort = Bolten, Joshua
|born_year         = 1954
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = April 14, 2006
|term_end          = January 20, 2009
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2006|4|14|2009|1|20}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[George W. Bush]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 23
|image             = Rahm Emanuel, official photo portrait color (cropped) 2.jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Rahm Emanuel]]
|officeholder_sort = Emanuel, Rahm
|born_year         = 1959
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = January 20, 2009
|term_end          = October 1, 2010
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2009|1|20|2010|10|1}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Barack Obama]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = –
|image             = Pete Rouse in the Oval Office (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Pete Rouse]]
|officeholder_sort = Rouse, Pete
|officeholder_note = {{efn|[[Pete Rouse]] served as ''ad interim'' White House Chief of Staff following the resignation of [[Rahm Emanuel]] and until the appointment of [[William M. Daley|Bill Daley]].}}
|born_year         = 1946
|died_year         = 
|acting            = y
|term_start        = October 1, 2010
|term_end          = January 13, 2011
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2010|10|1|2011|1|13}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Barack Obama]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 24
|image             = William M. Daley official portrait (cropped) 2.jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[William M. Daley|Bill Daley]]
|officeholder_sort = Daley, Bill
|born_year         = 1948
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = January 13, 2011
|term_end          = January 27, 2012
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2011|1|13|2012|1|27}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Barack Obama]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 25
|image             = Jacob Lew official portrait (cropped) 2.jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Jack Lew]]
|officeholder_sort = Lew, Jack
|born_year         = 1955
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = January 27, 2012
|term_end          = January 20, 2013
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2012|1|27|2013|1|20}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Barack Obama]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 26
|image             = Secretary McDonough, official photo (cropped) 2.jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Denis McDonough]]
|officeholder_sort = McDonough, Denis
|born_year         = 1969
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = January 20, 2013
|term_end          = January 20, 2017
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2013|1|20|2017|1|20}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Barack Obama]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|27}}
|image             = Reince Priebus (32319663313) (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Reince Priebus]]
|officeholder_sort = Priebus, Reince
|born_year         = 1972
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = January 20, 2017
|term_end          = July 31, 2017
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2017|1|20|2017|7|31}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Donald Trump]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 28
|image             = John Kelly official Transition portrait (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[John F. Kelly]]
|officeholder_sort = Kelly, John
|born_year         = 1950
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = July 31, 2017
|term_end          = January 2, 2019
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2017|7|31|2019|1|1}}
|alt_party         = Independent (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Donald Trump]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|–}}
|image             = Mick Mulvaney official photo (cropped) 3.jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Mick Mulvaney]]
|officeholder_sort = Mulvaney, Mick
|born_year         = 1967
|died_year         = 
|acting            = y
|term_start        = January 2, 2019
|term_end          = March 31, 2020
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2019|1|2|2020|3|31}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Donald Trump]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = {{color|white|29}}
|image             = Mark Meadows, Official Portrait, 113th Congress (cropped) 3.jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Mark Meadows]]
|officeholder_sort = Meadows, Mark
|born_year         = 1959
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = March 31, 2020
|term_end          = January 20, 2021
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2020|3|31|2021|1|20}}
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Donald Trump]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 30
|image             = Ron Klain, White House Chief of Staff (slightly cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Ron Klain]]
|officeholder_sort = Klain, Ron
|born_year         = 1961
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = January 20, 2021 
|term_end          = February 7, 2023
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2021|1|20|2023|2|7}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Joe Biden]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = 31
|image             = Jeff Zients, WHCOS (cropped).jpg |bsize=75
|officeholder      = [[Jeff Zients]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/22/politics/jeff-zients-white-house-chief-of-staff/index.html|title=Jeff Zients to replace Ron Klain as White House chief of staff|website=CNN|date=January 22, 2023|author1=Phil Mattingly|author2=Kaitlan Collins|access-date=January 22, 2023}}</ref>
|officeholder_sort = Zients, Jeff
|born_year         = 1966
|died-year         = 
|acting            = 
|term_start        = February 8, 2023
|term_end          = ''January 20, 2025''
|timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2023|2|8<!-- |2025|1|20 -->}}
|alt_party         = Democratic Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = [[Joe Biden]]
{{Officeholder table
|order2            = ''{{color|white|32}}''
|image             = Susie Wiles 2020.png |bsize=75
|officeholder      = ''[[Susie Wiles]]''
|officeholder_sort = Wiles, Susie
|born_year         = ''1957''
|died_year         = 
|term_start        = ''January 20, 2025''
|term_end          = ''Designate''
|timeinoffice      = ''{{ayd|2025|1|20}}''
|alt_party         = Republican Party (United States)
|alt_officeholder  = ''[[Donald Trump]]''
}}
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

The background color of the No. column indicates each chief's political party, with blue for Democrats, red for Republicans, and tan for independents. Acting chiefs have their rows highlighted in a dull gold color.

==See also==
* [[Chief of staff]]
* [[White House Deputy Chief of Staff]]
* [[Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States]]
* [[Officer of the United States]]
* [[Staff and line]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{WHCOS}}
{{EOP agencies}}
{{White House Office}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:White House Chief Of Staff}}
[[Category:United States presidential advisors]]
[[Category:White House Office|Chief Of Staff]]
[[Category:Executive Office of the President of the United States]]
[[Category:Cabinet of the United States]]
[[Category:White House chiefs of staff| ]]