United States Secretary of Transportation facts for kids

Quick facts for kids United States Secretary of Transportation
Flag of the secretary
Seal of the Department of Transportation
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	the 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 the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secretary is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States, and is fourteenth in the presidential line of succession.

The secretary of transportation oversees the U.S. Department of Transportation, which has over 55,000 employees and thirteen agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As of January 2021, the secretary receives an annual salary of $221,400.

Sean Duffy has served as the 20th secretary of transportation since January 28, 2025. He was appointed by President Donald Trump to serve this position, and was confirmed by the Senate in a 77-22 vote.

History

The post was created on October 15, 1966, by the Department of Transportation Act, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The department's mission is "to develop and coordinate policies that will provide an efficient and economical national transportation system, with due regard for need, the environment, and the national defense."

The first secretary of transportation was Alan S. Boyd, nominated to the post by Democratic president Lyndon B. Johnson. Ronald Reagan's second secretary of transportation, Elizabeth Dole, was the first female holder, and Mary Peters was the second. Gerald Ford's nominee William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. was the first African American to serve as transportation secretary, and Federico Peña, serving under Bill Clinton, was the first Hispanic to hold the position, subsequently becoming the secretary of energy. Japanese-American Norman Mineta, who had previously been the secretary of commerce, is the longest-serving secretary, holding the post for over five and a half years, and Andrew Card is the shortest-serving secretary, serving only eleven months. Pete Buttigieg is the youngest secretary, taking office at 39 years 15 days old, overtaking Neil Goldschmidt as the youngest secretary, taking office at 39 years 3 months old, while Norman Mineta was the oldest, retiring at age 74. In April 2008, Mary Peters launched the official blog of the secretary of transportation called The Fast Lane. On January 23, 2009, the 16th secretary, Ray LaHood, took office, serving under the administration of Democrat Barack Obama; he had previously been a Republican congressman from Illinois for fourteen years.

Anthony Foxx was the 17th U.S. secretary of transportation from 2013 to 2017, when Barack Obama was president. Elaine Chao, who served as the secretary of labor under President George W. Bush, was nominated by Donald Trump on November 29, 2016. On January 31, 2017, the Senate confirmed her appointment by a vote of 93–6. On January 7, 2021, Chao announced her resignation following the January 6 United States Capitol attack, effective January 11. On January 11, 2021, acting deputy secretary of transportation Steven G. Bradbury became acting secretary of transportation. Pete Buttigieg served as the 19th secretary of transportation during the presidency of Joe Biden.

List of secretaries of transportation

Parties

      Democratic (8)       Republican (12)

Status

      Denotes acting Secretary of Transportation

No.	Portrait	Secretary	State of residence	Took office	Left office	President
1		Boyd, Alan S.Alan S. Boyd	Florida	January 16, 1967	January 20, 1969		Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
2		Volpe, JohnJohn Volpe	Massachusetts	January 22, 1969	February 2, 1973		Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon (1969–1974)
3		Brinegar, ClaudeClaude Brinegar	California	February 2, 1973	February 1, 1975
							Ford, GeraldGerald Ford (1974–1977)
4		Coleman Jr., William ThaddeusWilliam Thaddeus Coleman Jr.	Pennsylvania	March 7, 1975	January 20, 1977
5		Adams, BrockBrock Adams	Washington	January 23, 1977	July 20, 1979		Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter (1977–1981)
6		Goldschmidt, NeilNeil Goldschmidt	Oregon	September 24, 1979	January 20, 1981
7		Lewis, DrewDrew Lewis	Pennsylvania	January 23, 1981	February 1, 1983		Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan (1981–1989)
8		Dole, ElizabethElizabeth Dole	Kansas	February 7, 1983	September 30, 1987
9		Burnley IV, James H.James H. Burnley IV	North Carolina	December 3, 1987	January 20, 1989
10		Skinner, Samuel K.Samuel K. Skinner	Illinois	February 6, 1989	December 13, 1991		Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
11		Card, AndrewAndrew Card	Massachusetts	February 24, 1992	January 20, 1993
12		Peña, FedericoFederico Peña	Colorado	January 21, 1993	February 14, 1997		Clinton, BillBill Clinton (1993–2001)
13		Slater, Rodney E.Rodney E. Slater	Arkansas	February 14, 1997	January 20, 2001
–		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		Mineta, NormanNorman Mineta	California	January 25, 2001	August 7, 2006
–		Cino, MariaMaria Cino Acting	New York	August 7, 2006	October 17, 2006
15		Peters, Mary E.Mary E. Peters	Arizona	October 17, 2006	January 20, 2009
16		LaHood, RayRay LaHood	Illinois	January 23, 2009	July 2, 2013		Obama, BarackBarack Obama (2009–2017)
17		Foxx, AnthonyAnthony Foxx	North Carolina	July 2, 2013	January 20, 2017
–		Huerta, MichaelMichael Huerta Acting	California	January 20, 2017	January 31, 2017		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2017–2021)
18		Chao, ElaineElaine Chao	Kentucky	January 31, 2017	January 11, 2021
–		Bradbury, Steven G.Steven G. Bradbury Acting	Oregon	January 12, 2021	January 20, 2021
–		Hurdle, LanaLana Hurdle Acting	Virginia	January 20, 2021	February 3, 2021		Biden, JoeJoe Biden (2021–2025)
19		Buttigieg, PetePete Buttigieg	Indiana	February 3, 2021	January 20, 2025
–		Kaleta, JudithJudith Kaleta Acting	Illinois	January 20, 2025	January 28, 2025		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2025–present)
20		Sean Duffy	Wisconsin	January 28, 2025	present

Line of succession

The line of succession regarding who would act as Secretary of Transportation in the event of a vacancy or incapacitation is as follows:

1. Deputy Secretary of Transportation
2. Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy
3. General Counsel
4. Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs
5. Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy
6. Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs
7. Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs
8. Assistant Secretary for Administration
9. Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration
10. Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
11. Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
12. Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration
13. Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration
14. Administrator of the Maritime Administration
15. Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
16. Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
17. Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration
18. Administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
19. Regional Administrator, Southern Region, Federal Aviation Administration
20. Director, Resource Center, Lakewood, Colorado, Federal Highway Administration
21. Regional Administrator, Northwest Mountain Region, Federal Aviation Administration

See also

In Spanish: Secretario de Transporte de los Estados Unidos para niños