United States Secretary of Education

United States Secretary of Education
Seal of the Department of Education
Flag of the secretary
Incumbent
Linda McMahon
since March 3, 2025
Department of Education
StyleMrs. Secretary (informal)
The Honorable (formal)
Reports toPresident
SeatLyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building, Washington, D.C.
AppointerPresident
with Senate advice and consent
Term lengthNo fixed term
Constituting instrument20 U.S.C. § 3411
FormationNovember 30, 1979 (1979-11-30)
First holderShirley Hufstedler
SuccessionSixteenth[1]
DeputyDeputy Secretary
SalaryExecutive Schedule, Level I
Websiteed.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

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
(1977–1981)
2 Terrel Bell Utah January 22, 1981 January 20, 1985 Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
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
(1989–1993)
– 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
(1993–2001)
7 Rod Paige Texas January 20, 2001 January 20, 2005 George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
8 Margaret Spellings January 20, 2005 January 20, 2009
9 Arne Duncan[3] Illinois January 21, 2009 January 1, 2016 Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
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
(2017–2021)
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 2, 2021 Joe Biden
(2021–2025)
12 Miguel Cardona Connecticut March 2, 2021 January 20, 2025
– Denise Carter
Acting 		January 20, 2025 March 3, 2025 Donald Trump
(2025–present)
13 Linda McMahon Connecticut March 3, 2025 Incumbent

Living former secreatries of education

As of September 2025, there are eleven living former secretaries of education, the oldest being Joseph A. Califano Jr. (served 1977-1979). The most recent death of a former secretary of state was that of Lauro Cavazos (served 1988-1990) on March 15, 2022. The current oldest living person who has held the position of Secreatry of Education since its creation in October 1979 is Richard Riley (served 1993-2001)


However, two former secreatries, F. David Mathews (served 1975-1977) and Joseph A. Califano Jr. (served 1977-1979) served prior to the implention and founding of the Department of Education, thus being recognized as former Secreatries of Education but also Secreatries of Health, Education, and Welfare (now the Secreatry of Health and Human Services)

References

  1. ↑ "3 U.S. Code § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act". Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  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". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
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