United States Secretary of Education

United States Secretary of Education
Seal of the Department of Education
Flag of the Secretary of Education
Incumbent
Miguel Cardona

since March 1, 2021
United States Department of Education
StyleMr. Secretary
(informal)
The Honorable
(formal)
Reports toPresident of the United States
SeatLyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building, Washington, D.C.
AppointerPresident of the United States
with Senate advice and consent
Constituting instrument20 U.S.C. § 3411
FormationNovember 30, 1979; 44 years ago (1979-11-30)
First holderShirley Hufstedler
SuccessionFifteenth[1]
DeputyDeputy Secretary of Education
SalaryExecutive Schedule, Level I
Websitewww2.ed.gov

The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet, and 16th in line of United States presidential line of succession. The United States Secretary of Education deals with Education.

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter established the Department of Education as a cabinet-level agency. Previously, Education had been handled by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, henceforth known as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Chronological list[change | change source]

Source[2]

No. Portrait Name State of residence Took office Left office President
1 Shirley Hufstedler California November 30, 1979 January 20, 1981 Jimmy Carter
2 Terrel Bell Utah January 22, 1981 January 20, 1985 Ronald Reagan
William Bennett North Carolina February 6, 1985 September 20, 1988
3
4 Lauro Cavazos Texas September 20, 1988 December 12, 1990
George H. W. Bush
Ted Sanders
Acting
Illinois December 12, 1990 March 22, 1991
5 Lamar Alexander Tennessee March 22, 1991 January 20, 1993
6 Richard Riley South Carolina January 21, 1993 January 20, 2001 Bill Clinton
7 Rod Paige Texas January 20, 2001 January 20, 2005 George W. Bush
8 Margaret Spellings January 20, 2005 January 20, 2009
9 Arne Duncan[3] Illinois January 21, 2009 January 1, 2016 Barack Obama
10 John King Jr.[3] New York January 1, 2016 March 14, 2016
March 14, 2016 January 20, 2017
Phil Rosenfelt
Acting
Virginia January 20, 2017 February 7, 2017 Donald Trump
11 Betsy DeVos Michigan February 7, 2017 January 8, 2021
Mick Zais
Acting
South Carolina January 8, 2021 January 20, 2021
Phil Rosenfelt
Acting
Virginia January 20, 2021 March 1, 2021 Joe Biden
12 Miguel Cardona Connecticut March 1, 2021 Incumbent

References[change | change source]

  1. "3 U.S. Code § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act".
  2. "The Education Secretaries Miguel Cardona Would Follow". Education Writers Association. Archived from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Eilperin, Juliet; Layton, Lyndsey; Brown, Emma (October 2, 2015). "U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan to step down at end of year". Washington Post. Retrieved November 23, 2016.