United States Secretary of Commerce

United States Secretary of Commerce
Seal of the U.S. Department of Commerce
Flag of the secretary
Incumbent
Howard Lutnick
since February 19, 2025
United States Department of Commerce
StyleMadam Secretary (informal)
The Honorable (formal)
Member ofCabinet
Reports toPresident of the United States
SeatHerbert C. Hoover Building, Washington, D.C.
AppointerPresident of the United States
with United States Senate advice and consent
Term lengthNo fixed term
Constituting instrument15 U.S.C. § 1501
PrecursorSecretary of Commerce and Labor
FormationMarch 5, 1913 (1913-03-05)
First holderWilliam C. Redfield
SuccessionTenth[1]
DeputyDeputy Secretary of Commerce
SalaryExecutive Schedule, Level I
WebsiteCommerce.gov

The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce."[2] 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.[3]

List of U.S. secretaries of commerce

Parties

  Independent (1)   Democratic (21)   Republican (19)

Status
  Denotes acting commerce secretary
No. Portrait Name[4] State of residence Took office Left office President(s)
1 William C. Redfield New York March 5, 1913 October 31, 1919 Woodrow Wilson
(1913–1921)
2 Joshua W. Alexander Missouri December 16, 1919 March 4, 1921
3 Herbert Hoover California March 5, 1921 August 21, 1928 Warren G. Harding
(1921–1923)
Calvin Coolidge
(1923-1929)
4 William F. Whiting Massachusetts August 22, 1928 March 4, 1929
5 Robert P. Lamont Illinois March 5, 1929 August 7, 1932 Herbert Hoover
(1929–1933)
6 Roy D. Chapin Michigan August 8, 1932 March 3, 1933
7 Daniel C. Roper South Carolina March 4, 1933 December 23, 1938 Franklin D. Roosevelt
(1933–1945)
8 Harry Hopkins New York December 24, 1938 September 18, 1940
9 Jesse H. Jones Texas September 19, 1940 March 1, 1945
10 Henry A. Wallace Iowa March 2, 1945 September 20, 1946
Harry S. Truman
(1945–1953)
– Alfred Schindler
Acting 		Missouri September 20, 1946 October 7, 1946
11 W. Averell Harriman New York October 7, 1946 April 22, 1948
12 Charles W. Sawyer Ohio May 6, 1948 January 20, 1953
13 Sinclair Weeks Massachusetts January 21, 1953 November 10, 1958 Dwight D. Eisenhower
(1953–1961)
- Lewis Strauss New York November 13, 1958 June 30, 1959
14 Frederick H. Mueller Michigan June 30, 1959 August 10, 1959
August 10, 1959 January 19, 1961
15 Luther H. Hodges North Carolina January 21, 1961 January 15, 1965 John F. Kennedy
(1961–1963)
Lyndon B. Johnson
(1963–1969)
16 John T. Connor New Jersey January 18, 1965 January 31, 1967
17 Alexander Trowbridge New York January 31, 1967 June 14, 1967
June 14, 1967 March 1, 1968
18 C. R. Smith New York March 6, 1968 January 19, 1969
19 Maurice Stans New York January 21, 1969 February 15, 1972 Richard Nixon
(1969–1974)
20 Peter G. Peterson Illinois February 29, 1972 February 1, 1973
21 Frederick B. Dent South Carolina February 2, 1973 March 26, 1975
Gerald Ford
(1974–1977)
22 Rogers Morton Maryland May 1, 1975 February 2, 1976
23 Elliot Richardson Massachusetts February 2, 1976 January 20, 1977
24 Juanita M. Kreps North Carolina January 23, 1977 October 31, 1979 Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
– Luther H. Hodges Jr.
Acting 		North Carolina October 31, 1979 January 9, 1980
25 Philip Klutznick Illinois January 9, 1980 January 20, 1981
26 Malcolm Baldrige Jr. Connecticut January 20, 1981 July 25, 1987 Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
– Bud Brown
Acting 		Ohio July 25, 1987 October 19, 1987
27 William Verity Jr. Ohio October 19, 1987 January 30, 1989
28 Robert Mosbacher Texas January 31, 1989 January 15, 1992 George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
– Rockwell A. Schnabel
Acting 		California January 15, 1992 February 27, 1992
29 Barbara Franklin Pennsylvania February 27, 1992 January 20, 1993
30 Ron Brown New York January 20, 1993 April 3, 1996 Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
– Mary L. Good
Acting 		Texas April 3, 1996 April 12, 1996
31 Mickey Kantor Tennessee April 12, 1996 January 21, 1997
32 William M. Daley Illinois January 30, 1997 July 19, 2000
– Robert L. Mallett
Acting 		Texas July 19, 2000 July 21, 2000
33 Norman Mineta California July 21, 2000 January 20, 2001
34 Donald Evans Texas January 20, 2001 February 7, 2005 George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
35 Carlos Gutierrez Florida February 7, 2005 January 20, 2009
– Otto J. Wolff
Acting 		January 20, 2009 March 26, 2009 Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
36 Gary Locke Washington March 26, 2009 August 1, 2011
– Rebecca Blank
Acting 		Minnesota August 1, 2011 October 21, 2011
37 John Bryson New York October 21, 2011 June 11, 2012
– Rebecca Blank
Acting 		Minnesota June 11, 2012 June 1, 2013
– Cameron Kerry
Acting 		Massachusetts June 1, 2013 June 26, 2013
38 Penny Pritzker Illinois June 26, 2013 January 20, 2017
– Vacant January 20, 2017 February 28, 2017 Donald Trump
(2017–2021)
39 Wilbur Ross Florida February 28, 2017 January 20, 2021
– Wynn Coggins
Acting 		Virginia January 20, 2021 March 3, 2021 Joe Biden
(2021–2025)
40 Gina Raimondo Rhode Island March 3, 2021 January 20, 2025
– Jeremy Pelter
Acting

Maryland

January 20, 2025 February 19, 2025 Donald Trump
(2025–present)
41 Howard Lutnick New York February 19, 2025 Incumbent

Living former secretaries of commerce

As of September 2025, there are nine living former secretaries of agriculture, the oldest being Wilbur Ross (served 2017-2021). The most recent death of a former secretary of state was that of John Bryson (served 2011-2012) on May 13, 2025.

References

  1. ↑ 3 U.S.C. § 19
  2. ↑ ""US Department of Commerce, Directives Management Program"". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  3. ↑ ""Department of Commerce - Milestones"". Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  4. ↑ Department of Commerce: Secretaries
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