Surgeon General of the United States facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Surgeon General of the United States
Flag of the United States Surgeon General
Seal of the United States Public Health Service, 1798
Incumbent Vivek Murthy since March 25, 2021
Public Health Service Public Health Service, Commissioned Corps
Reports to	United States Assistant Secretary for Health
Seat	Hubert H. Humphrey Building, United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, D.C.
Appointer	The President with United States Senate advice and consent
Term length	4 years
Formation	March 29, 1871
First holder	John M. Woodworth (as Supervising Surgeon)

The Surgeon General of the United States is a very important doctor in the U.S. government. They lead the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC). This person is the main voice for public health across the country. Their office, where they work with their team, is called the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG).

How is the Surgeon General Chosen?

The U.S. President chooses the Surgeon General. Then, the Senate must agree with the President's choice. This process is called "confirmation."

What is the Term Length for a Surgeon General?

Once chosen, the Surgeon General serves for a four-year period. They are a high-ranking officer in the PHSCC. They usually hold the rank of a three-star vice admiral.

Who is the Current Surgeon General?

The current Surgeon General is Vivek Murthy. He started his term on March 25, 2021.

Past Surgeons General of the United States

Here is a list of the people who have served as Surgeon General. Some people served as "Acting Surgeon General" for a short time.

№	Name (birth–death)	Photo	Term of office		Appointed by (term)
			Start of term	End of term
1	John M. Woodworth (1837–1879)		March 29, 1871	March 14, 1879	Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877)
2	RADM John B. Hamilton (1847–1898)		April 3, 1879	June 1, 1891	Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881)
3	RADM Walter Wyman (1848–1911)		June 1, 1891	November 21, 1911	Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893)
4	RADM Rupert Blue (1868–1948)		January 13, 1912	March 3, 1920	William Howard Taft (1907–1913)
5	RADM Hugh S. Cumming (1869–1948)		March 3, 1920	January 31, 1936	Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921)
6	RADM Thomas Parran, Jr. (1892–1968)		April 6, 1936	April 6, 1948	Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945)
7	RADM Leonard A. Scheele (1907–1993)		April 6, 1948	August 8, 1956	Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)
8	RADM Leroy Edgar Burney (1906–1998)		August 8, 1956	January 29, 1961	Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
9	RADM Luther Terry (1911–1985)		March 2, 1961	October 1, 1965	John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
10	VADM William H. Stewart (1921–2008)		October 1, 1965	August 1, 1969	Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
N/A	RADM Richard A. Prindle (c. 1926–2001) Acting Surgeon General		August 1, 1969	December 18, 1969	Richard Nixon (1969–1974)
11	RADM Jesse Leonard Steinfeld (1927–2014)		December 18, 1969	January 30, 1973
N/A	RADM S. Paul Ehrlich, Jr. (1932–2005) Acting Surgeon General		January 31, 1973	July 13, 1977
12	VADM Julius B. Richmond (1916–2008)		July 13, 1977	January 20, 1981	Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)
N/A	Edward Brandt, Jr. (1933–2007) Acting Surgeon General		May 14, 1981	January 21, 1982	Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)
13	VADM C. Everett Koop (1916–2013)		January 21, 1982	October 1, 1989
N/A	ADM James O. Mason (1930–2019) Acting Surgeon General		October 1, 1989	March 9, 1990	George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
14	VADM Antonia C. Novello (1944–)		March 9, 1990	June 30, 1993
N/A	RADM Robert A. Whitney (1935–) Acting Surgeon General		July 1, 1993	September 8, 1993	Bill Clinton (1993–2001)
15	VADM Joycelyn Elders (1933–)		September 8, 1993	December 31, 1994
N/A	RADM Audrey F. Manley (1934–) Acting Surgeon General		January 1, 1995	July 1, 1997
16	ADM / VADM David Satcher (1941–)		February 13, 1998	February 12, 2002
N/A	RADM Kenneth P. Moritsugu (1945–) Acting Surgeon General		February 13, 2002	August 4, 2002	George W. Bush (2001–2009)
17	VADM Richard Carmona (1949–)		August 5, 2002	July 31, 2006
N/A	RADM Kenneth P. Moritsugu (1945–) Acting Surgeon General		August 1, 2006	September 30, 2007
	RADM Steven K. Galson (1956–) Acting Surgeon General		October 1, 2007	October 1, 2009
	RADM Donald L. Weaver Acting Surgeon General		October 1, 2009	November 3, 2009	Barack Obama (2009–2017)
18	VADM Regina Benjamin (1956–)		November 3, 2009	July 16, 2013
N/A	RADM Boris D. Lushniak Acting Surgeon General		July 17, 2013	December 18, 2014
19	VADM Vivek Murthy (1977–)		December 18, 2014	April 21, 2017
N/A	RADM Sylvia Trent-Adams Acting Surgeon General		April 21, 2017	September 5, 2017	Donald Trump (2017–2021)
20	VADM Jerome Adams (1974–)		September 5, 2017	January 20, 2021
21	VADM Vivek Murthy (1977–)		March 25, 2021	Incumbent	Joe Biden (since 2021)

See also

In Spanish: Cirujano general de los Estados Unidos para niños