United States Secretary of Labor

Secretary of Labor of the United States of America
120px Seal of the United States Department of Labor
130px Flag of the Secretary of Labor
200px Incumbent Thomas Perez since July 23, 2013
United States Department of Labor
Style	Mr. Secretary
Member of	Cabinet
Reports to	The President
Seat	Washington, D.C.
Appointer	The President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	No fixed term
Constituting instrument	29 U.S.C. § 551
Formation	March 4, 1913
First holder	William B. Wilson
Succession	Tenth in the United States Presidential Line of Succession
Deputy	Deputy Secretary of Labor
Salary	Executive Schedule, level 1
Website	www.dol.gov

The United States Secretary of Labor is the head of the U.S. Department of Labor, exercises control over the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all other issues involving any form of business-person controversies.

There used to be a U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Labor, who led this department with the U.S. Department of Commerce, which is now headed by a separate U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Seven women have served as Secretary of Labor, which is more than any other cabinet position.

Thomas Perez is the current U.S. Secretary of Labor. He took office after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 23, 2013.

File:Flag of the United States Secretary of Labor 1915-1960.svg

The former flag of the U.S. Secretary of Labor, used from 1915 to 1960.

List of Secretaries of Labor

Parties

      Democratic       Republican

No.	Portrait	Name	State of Residence	Took Office	Left Office	President(s)
1	Wilson	William B. Wilson	Pennsylvania	March 6, 1913	March 4, 1921		Woodrow Wilson
2		James J. Davis	Pennsylvania	March 5, 1921	November 30, 1930		Warren G. Harding
							Calvin Coolidge
							Herbert Hoover
3		William N. Doak	Virginia	December 9, 1930	March 4, 1933
4	Perkins	Frances Perkins	New York	March 4, 1933	June 30, 1945		Franklin D. Roosevelt
							Harry S. Truman
5	Schwellenbach	Lewis B. Schwellenbach	Washington	July 1, 1945	June 10, 1948
6		Maurice J. Tobin	Massachusetts	August 13, 1948	January 20, 1953
7		Martin P. Durkin	Maryland	January 21, 1953	September 10, 1953		Dwight D. Eisenhower
8		James P. Mitchell	New Jersey	October 9, 1953	January 20, 1961
9	Goldberg	Arthur J. Goldberg	Illinois	January 21, 1961	September 20, 1962		John F. Kennedy
10	Wirtz	W. Willard Wirtz	Illinois	September 25, 1962	January 20, 1969
							Lyndon B. Johnson
11	Shultz	George P. Shultz	Illinois	January 22, 1969	July 1, 1970		Richard Nixon
12	Hodgson	James D. Hodgson	California	July 2, 1970	February 1, 1973
13	Brennan	Peter J. Brennan	New York	February 2, 1973	March 15, 1975
							Gerald Ford
14		John T. Dunlop	Massachusetts	March 18, 1975	January 31, 1976
15		W. J. Usery Jr.	Georgia	February 10, 1976	January 20, 1977
16	Marshall	F. Ray Marshall	Texas	January 27, 1977	January 20, 1981		Jimmy Carter
17	Donovan	Raymond J. Donovan	New Jersey	February 4, 1981	March 15, 1985		Ronald Reagan
18	Brock	William E. Brock	Tennessee	April 29, 1985	October 31, 1987
19	McLaughlin	Ann Dore McLaughlin	District of Columbia	December 17, 1987	January 20, 1989
20		Elizabeth H. Dole	Kansas	January 25, 1989	November 23, 1990		George H. W. Bush
21	Martin	Lynn M. Martin	Illinois	February 22, 1991	January 20, 1993
22	Reich	Robert Reich	Massachusetts	January 22, 1993	January 20, 1997		Bill Clinton
23		Alexis M. Herman	Alabama	May 1, 1997	January 20, 2001
24		Elaine L. Chao	Kentucky	January 29, 2001	January 20, 2009		George W. Bush
25		Hilda L. Solis	California	February 24, 2009	January 22, 2013		Barack Obama
26	Perez	Thomas Perez	Maryland	July 23, 2013	present

Living former Secretaries of Labor

As of December 2024, there are twelve living former Secretaries of Labor, the oldest being George P. Shultz (1969–1970, born 1920). The most recent Secretary of Labor to pass away was James D. Hodgson (1970–1973), on November 28, 2012.

Name	Term of office	Date of birth (and age)
George P. Shultz	1969–1970	(1920-12-13) December 13, 1920
William Usery, Jr.	1976–1977	(1923-12-21) December 21, 1923
Ray Marshall	1977–1981	(1928-08-22) August 22, 1928
Raymond J. Donovan	1981–1985	(1930-08-31) August 31, 1930
Bill Brock	1985–1987	(1930-11-23) November 23, 1930
Ann Dore McLaughlin	1987–1989	(1941-11-16) November 16, 1941
Elizabeth H. Dole	1989–1990	(1936-07-29) July 29, 1936
Lynn Morley Martin	1991–1993	(1939-12-26) December 26, 1939
Robert Reich	1993–1997	(1946-06-24) June 24, 1946
Alexis Herman	1997–2001	(1947-07-16) July 16, 1947
Elaine Chao	2001–2009	(1953-03-26) March 26, 1953
Hilda Solis	2009–2013	(1957-10-20) October 20, 1957

See also

• United States Deputy Secretary of Labor
• Living former members of the United States Cabinet

External links

• Hall of the Secretaries of Labor: Portraits and Biographies

United States presidential line of succession
Preceded by Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker	11th in line	Succeeded by Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell