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United States Secretary of Transportation
Flag of the United States Secretary of Transportation.svg
Flag of the secretary
United States Department of Transportation seal.svg
Seal of the Department of Transportation
Secretary Sean Duffy 2025.jpg
Incumbent
Sean Duffy

since January 28, 2025
United States Department of Transportation
Style Mr. Secretary (informal)
The Honorable (formal)
Member of the United States Cabinet
Reports to President of the United States
Seat Washington, D.C.
Appointer President of the United States
with Senate advice and consent
Term length No fixed term
Constituting instrument 49 U.S.C. § 102
Formation October 15, 1966
(58 years ago)
 (1966-10-15)
First holder Alan Stephenson Boyd
Succession Fourteenth
Deputy Deputy Secretary of Transportation
Salary Executive Schedule, Level I

The United States Secretary of Transportation is a very important job in the U.S. government. This person leads the United States Department of Transportation. They are the main helper and advisor to the President of the United States on all things about transportation.

This means they help make sure our country's roads, trains, planes, and ships work well. The Secretary is also part of the Cabinet of the United States. This is a group of top advisors to the President. The Secretary is also 14th in line to become President if something happens to the President and Vice President.

The Secretary of Transportation manages a huge department. It has over 55,000 employees! It also includes 13 different agencies. Some of these are the Federal Aviation Administration (for planes) and the Federal Highway Administration (for roads). The Secretary earns a good salary for this big responsibility.

Currently, Sean Duffy is the 20th Secretary of Transportation. He started his job on January 28, 2025. President Donald Trump chose him for this role. The United States Senate then voted to approve him.

What is the History of the Secretary of Transportation?

The job of Secretary of Transportation was created on October 15, 1966. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a law to make this happen. The main goal of the department is to create a good transportation system. This system should be efficient and save money. It also needs to consider our country's needs, the environment, and national defense.

Who Were the First Secretaries?

The very first Secretary of Transportation was Alan S. Boyd. He was chosen by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Later, Elizabeth Dole became the first woman to hold this job. This was during President Ronald Reagan's time. Mary Peters was the second woman to serve.

William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. was the first African American Secretary. He served under President Gerald Ford. Federico Peña was the first Hispanic person to hold the position. He worked for President Bill Clinton.

Who Served the Longest and Shortest?

Norman Mineta, who is Japanese-American, served the longest. He was Secretary for over five and a half years. On the other hand, Andrew Card served the shortest time, only eleven months.

Who Was the Youngest Secretary?

Pete Buttigieg became the youngest Secretary. He was 39 years and 15 days old when he started. This made him younger than Neil Goldschmidt, who was 39 years and 3 months old. Norman Mineta was the oldest when he retired at age 74.

In 2008, Secretary Mary Peters started an official blog. It was called The Fast Lane. This blog shared news and updates from the department.

Recent Secretaries of Transportation

Ray LaHood became the 16th Secretary in 2009. He served under President Barack Obama. Before this, he was a Republican congressman. Anthony Foxx was the 17th Secretary, also serving under President Obama.

Elaine Chao was chosen by President Donald Trump in 2016. She had also been the United States Secretary of Labor before. She resigned in January 2021. After her, several people served as acting secretaries for short periods. Pete Buttigieg was the 19th Secretary. He served during President Joe Biden's time.

List of Secretaries of Transportation

This table shows all the people who have served as the Secretary of Transportation. It also shows which President they served under.

      Democratic (8)       Republican (12)

Status

      Denotes acting Secretary of Transportation

No. Portrait Secretary State of residence Took office Left office President
1 Black-and-white photo of a balding man in a suit and striped tie Boyd, Alan S.Alan S. Boyd Florida January 16, 1967 January 20, 1969 Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson
(1963–1969)
2 Black-and-white photo of man in a suit and black tie Volpe, JohnJohn Volpe Massachusetts January 22, 1969 February 2, 1973 Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon
(1969–1974)
3 Color photo of a bald man wearing glasses and a suit with a striped tie Brinegar, ClaudeClaude Brinegar California February 2, 1973 February 1, 1975
Ford, GeraldGerald Ford
(1974–1977)
4 Black-and-white photo of an African American man in a suit wearing glasses looking to his left Coleman Jr., William ThaddeusWilliam Thaddeus Coleman Jr. Pennsylvania March 7, 1975 January 20, 1977
5 Black-and-white photo of a man in a suit smiling Adams, BrockBrock Adams Washington January 23, 1977 July 20, 1979 Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
6 Black-and-white photo of a man with a wide smile and short curly hair wearing a light-colored suit Goldschmidt, NeilNeil Goldschmidt Oregon September 24, 1979 January 20, 1981
7 Black-and-white photo of a man wearing a suit sitting at a desk with his hands folded on it and the DOT logo and US flag behind him Lewis, DrewDrew Lewis Pennsylvania January 23, 1981 February 1, 1983 Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan
(1981–1989)
8 Photo of a smiling woman wearing earrings Dole, ElizabethElizabeth Dole Kansas February 7, 1983 September 30, 1987
9 Black-and-white photo of a man in a suit and combed-over hair with the US flag behind him Burnley IV, James H.James H. Burnley IV North Carolina December 3, 1987 January 20, 1989
10 Smiling man with thinning hair wearing a suit and a blue tie with the US flag behind him Skinner, Samuel K.Samuel K. Skinner Illinois February 6, 1989 December 13, 1991 Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
11 Smiling man wearing a suit and a red tie Card, AndrewAndrew Card Massachusetts February 24, 1992 January 20, 1993
12 Hispanic man with large glasses and black hair with the US flag behind him Peña, FedericoFederico Peña Colorado January 21, 1993 February 14, 1997 Clinton, BillBill Clinton
(1993–2001)
13 African American man with short hair and a short mustache Slater, Rodney E.Rodney E. Slater Arkansas February 14, 1997 January 20, 2001

Acting United States Secretary of Transportation Downey III, Mortimer L.Mortimer L. Downey III
Acting
Virginia January 20, 2001 January 25, 2001 Bush, George W.George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
14 Older Japanese American man with glasses wearing a suit with a red tie with the US flag behind him Mineta, NormanNorman Mineta California January 25, 2001 August 7, 2006

Acting United States Secretary of Transportation Cino, MariaMaria Cino
Acting
New York August 7, 2006 October 17, 2006
15 Woman with long brown hair with the US flag behind her Peters, Mary E.Mary E. Peters Arizona October 17, 2006 January 20, 2009
16 Ray LaHood official DOT portrait.jpg LaHood, RayRay LaHood Illinois January 23, 2009 July 2, 2013 Obama, BarackBarack Obama
(2009–2017)
17 Mayor Anthony Foxx, Charlotte NC Foxx, AnthonyAnthony Foxx North Carolina July 2, 2013 January 20, 2017
Michael Huerta official picture.jpg Huerta, MichaelMichael Huerta
Acting
California January 20, 2017 January 31, 2017 Trump, DonaldDonald Trump
(2017–2021)
18 Elaine Chao official portrait 2 (cropped).jpg Chao, ElaineElaine Chao Kentucky January 31, 2017 January 11, 2021
Steven G. Bradbury official photo.jpg Bradbury, Steven G.Steven G. Bradbury
Acting
Oregon January 12, 2021 January 20, 2021
Lana Hurdle US Dept of Transportation.jpg Hurdle, LanaLana Hurdle
Acting
Virginia January 20, 2021 February 3, 2021 Biden, JoeJoe Biden
(2021–2025)
19 Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation (cropped).jpg Buttigieg, PetePete Buttigieg Indiana February 3, 2021 January 20, 2025
Judith-Kaleta.jpg Kaleta, JudithJudith Kaleta
Acting
Illinois January 20, 2025 January 28, 2025 Trump, DonaldDonald Trump
(2025–present)
20 Secretary Sean Duffy 2025.jpg Sean Duffy Wisconsin January 28, 2025 present

Who Takes Over if the Secretary Can't Serve?

There is a special order of people who would take over if the Secretary of Transportation cannot do their job. This is called the line of succession. It makes sure that someone is always in charge of transportation.

Here are the top people in line:

  • The Deputy Secretary of Transportation
  • The Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy
  • The General Counsel (the department's main lawyer)
  • The Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs
  • The Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Secretario de Transporte de los Estados Unidos para niños

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