The United States secretary of education is the head of the United States Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on policies, programs, and activities related to all education in the United States. As a member of the Cabinet of the United States, the secretary is sixteenth in the line of succession to the presidency. Prior to its creation as an Executive Department, there was a non-Cabinet level position called the United States commissioner of education who led the United States Office of Education.
The current secretary of education is Linda McMahon, serving in this role under President Donald Trump.
Function
The United States secretary of education is a member of the president's Cabinet and is the sixteenth in the United States presidential line of succession. This secretary deals with federal influence over education policy, and heads the United States Department of Education.
The secretary is advised by the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, an advisory committee, on "matters related to accreditation and to the eligibility and certification process for institutions of higher education."
List of secretaries
Prior to the creation of the Department of Education in 1979, Education was a division of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
;Parties
;Status
Health, Education, and Welfare
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!No.
!class=unsortable |Portrait
!Name
!State of residence
!Took office
!Left office
!colspan=2 |President(s)
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|rowspan=1 |Texas
|April 11, 1953
|July 31, 1955
|rowspan=3 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=3 |<br>(1953–1961)
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|New York
|August 2, 1955
|July 31, 1958
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|Ohio
|August 1, 1958
|January 19, 1961
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|Connecticut
|January 21, 1961
|July 13, 1962
|rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=2 |<br>(1961–1963)
|-
!rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=2 |75px
|rowspan="2;" nowrap="" |
|rowspan=2 |Ohio
|rowspan=2 |July 31, 1962
|rowspan=2 |August 17, 1965
|-
|rowspan=3 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=3 |<br>(1963–1969)
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|California
|August 18, 1965
|March 1, 1968
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|Michigan
|May 16, 1968
|January 20, 1969
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|California
|January 21, 1969
|June 23, 1970
|rowspan=3 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=3 |<br>(1969–1974)
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|Massachusetts
|June 24, 1970
|January 29, 1973
|-
!rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=2 |75px
|rowspan=2 |
|rowspan=2 |California
|rowspan=2 |February 12, 1973
|rowspan=2 |August 8, 1975
|-
|rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=2 |<br>(1974–1977)
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|Alabama
|August 8, 1975
|January 20, 1977
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|rowspan=2 |District of Columbia
|January 25, 1977
|August 3, 1979
|rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=2 |<br>(1977–1981)
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|August 3, 1979
|May 4, 1980
|}
Education
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!No.
!class=unsortable |Portrait
!Name
!State of residence
!Took office
!Left office
!colspan=2 |President
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|California
|November 30, 1979
|January 20, 1981
|style="background: ;" |
|<br>(1977–1981)
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|Utah
|January 22, 1981
|January 20, 1985
|rowspan=4 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=4 |<br>(1981–1989)
|-
!style="background: ;" data-sort-value="3"|
|rowspan=2|75px
|rowspan=2|
|rowspan=2|North Carolina
|rowspan=2|February 6, 1985
|rowspan=2|September 20, 1988
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|-
!rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=2 |75px
|rowspan=2 |
|rowspan=2 |Texas
|rowspan=2 |September 20, 1988
|rowspan=2 |December 12, 1990
|-
|rowspan=3 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=3 |<br>(1989–1993)
|-
!style="background:#E6E6AA;" data-sort-value="4.5" |–
|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |75px
|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |<br/>
|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |Illinois
|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |December 12, 1990
|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |March 22, 1991
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|Tennessee
|March 22, 1991
|January 20, 1993
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|South Carolina
|January 21, 1993
|January 20, 2001
|style="background: ;" |
|<br>(1993–2001)
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|rowspan=2 |Texas
|January 20, 2001
|January 20, 2005
|rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=2 |<br>(2001–2009)
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|January 20, 2005
|January 20, 2009
|-
!style="background: ;" |
|75px
|
|Illinois
|January 21, 2009
|January 1, 2016
|rowspan=3 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=3 |<br>(2009–2017)
|-
!rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |
|rowspan=2 |75px
|rowspan=2 |