List Of Female United States Cabinet Secretaries

The Cabinet of the United States, which is the principal advisory body to the president of the United States, has had 38 permanent female members serving as vice president or head of one of the federal executive departments and 31 women as cabinet-level officials, which can differ under each president. Of that number, one woman was elected vice president, three were appointed to the helm of multiple different departments, and four served both as Cabinet and Cabinet-rank officeholders. No woman held a Cabinet position before the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which prohibits states and the federal government from denying any citizen the right to vote because of that citizen's sex.

Frances Perkins became the first woman to serve in the Cabinet; she was appointed secretary of labor in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Perkins remained in office briefly after Harry S. Truman assumed presidency upon Roosevelt's death, becoming the first woman to hold the same post under separate administrations. Patricia Roberts Harris was the first woman to have served in two different Cabinet posts during a single administration. She was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as secretary of housing and urban development in 1977 and served as secretary of health and human services two years later. Harris also became the first African American woman and first woman of color to serve in a president’s cabinet. Elizabeth Dole was the first woman to have served in two different Cabinet posts for two different administrations. She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as secretary of transportation in 1983 and served as secretary of labor during the tenure of George H. W. Bush—Reagan's successor. Czechoslovakia-born Madeleine Albright became the first foreign-born woman to serve in the Cabinet; she was appointed secretary of state in 1997 by President Bill Clinton. Albright was the highest-ranking woman in any U.S. presidential administration to that time. Taiwan-born Elaine Chao became the first foreign-born woman to attain two different Cabinet positions in two different administrations. She was appointed by President George W. Bush as secretary of labor in 2001 and later selected secretary of transportation by President Donald Trump. Chao also became the first Asian American woman to serve in a president’s cabinet.

On January 26, 2005, Condoleezza Rice was appointed secretary of state, which is first in the United States presidential line of succession among Cabinet secretaries, which in turn makes her the highest-ranking woman in American history. On January 4, 2007, Nancy Pelosi replaced Rice as the highest-ranking woman in line when she was elected speaker of the House. On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris overtook Pelosi and became the highest-ranking woman in the line of succession when she was inaugurated as vice president.

President Joe Biden named five women as secretaries to his initial Cabinet—former U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge (D-OH) as secretary of housing and urban development, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm as secretary of energy, U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM) as secretary of the interior, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo as secretary of commerce, and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as secretary of the treasury; exceeding by one the record set by President Barack Obama. However, including  cabinet reshuffles, Obama still holds the record for most women appointed to Cabinet positions with eight, the most during any presidency, surpassing George W. Bush's previous number of six.

The Department of Labor has had the most women secretaries with seven. The Department of Health and Human Services has had five; the department of Commerce have had four; the departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, State, and Transportation have had three; the departments of Energy, Homeland Security, and Justice have had two; the departments of Agriculture and Treasury have had one. The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are the only existing Cabinet departments that have not had women secretaries yet.

Totals for this list include only women presidential appointees confirmed (if necessary) by the United States Senate to cabinet or cabinet-level positions and taking their oath of office; they do not include acting officials or nominees awaiting confirmation.

Permanent Cabinet members

The following list includes women who have held permanent Cabinet positions, all of whom are in the line of succession to the Presidency. The table below is organized based on the beginning of their terms in office. Officeholders whose terms begin the same day are ranked according to presidential order of succession.

:'' denotes the first female holder of that particular office''

Former permanent Cabinet members

* The Department of War was established in 1789 and abolished in 1947, when it was split between the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force by National Security Act of 1947 and both were absorbed into the Department of Defense in 1949. No woman had ever served while it was a Cabinet post.
* The Department of the Navy was established in 1798 and absorbed in 1949, when it became a component of the Department of Defense. No woman had ever served while it was a Cabinet post. Susan Livingstone was the first woman to serve as acting Secretary of the Navy. She was appointed in 2003, after it became a position beneath the Secretary of Defense.
* The Post Office Department was established in 1792 and continued to be an executive department from 1829 until 1971, when it was reorganized by the Postal Reorganization Act into the United States Postal Service (USPS). No woman had ever served while it was a Cabinet post. Megan Brennan was the first woman to serve as Postmaster General. She was appointed in 2015, after USPS became an independent agency of the executive branch.
* The Department of Commerce and Labor was established in 1903 until subdivided in 1913, when it was split between the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor. No woman had ever served while it was a Cabinet post.
* The Department of the Army was established in 1947 and absorbed in 1949, when it became a component of the Department of Defense. No woman had ever served while it was a Cabinet post. Christine Wormuth was the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Army. She was appointed in 2021, after it became a position beneath the Secretary of Defense.
* The Department of the Air Force was established in 1947 and absorbed in 1949, when it became a component of the Department of Defense. No woman had ever served while it was a Cabinet post. Sheila Widnall was the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Air Force. She was appointed in 1993, after it became a position beneath the Secretary of Defense.

Cabinet-level positions

The president may designate or remove additional officials as members of the Cabinet. These positions have not always been in the Cabinet, so some female officeholders may not be listed.

The following list includes women who have held Cabinet-level positions, which can vary under each president. They are not in the line of succession and are not necessarily officers of the United States. The table below is organized based on the beginning of their terms in office while it raised to cabinet-level status. Officeholders whose terms begin the same day are ranked alphabetically by last name.

:'' denotes the first female holder of that particular office''

See also

* List of African-American United States Cabinet members
* List of foreign-born United States Cabinet members
* List of Hispanic and Latino American United States Cabinet members

Notes

References

External links

The Cabinet
- Provided by the White House. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
Women Appointed to Presidential Cabinets
- Produced by the Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics from Rutgers University. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
Women Members Who Became Cabinet Members and United States Diplomats
- Provided by the U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Historian. Part of the History, Art & Archives, Women in Congress, 1917–2006 website. Retrieved January 11, 2016.

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