United States Secretary of Agriculture

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United States Secretary of Agriculture
Seal of the United States Department of Agriculture.svg
Seal of the Department
Flag of the United States Secretary of Agriculture.svg
Flag of the Secretary
20210427-OSEC-TEW-001 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (51148817903).jpg
Incumbent
Tom Vilsack

since February 24, 2021
United States Department of Agriculture
StyleMr. Secretary
(informal)
The Honorable
(formal)
Member ofCabinet
Reports toPresident of the United States
SeatJamie L. Whitten Building, Washington, D.C.
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Term lengthNo fixed term
Constituting instrument7 U.S.C. § 2202
FormationFebruary 15, 1889
First holderNorman Jay Coleman
SuccessionNinth[1]
DeputyDeputy Secretary of Agriculture
SalaryExecutive Schedule, level I
Websiteusda.gov

The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments.

The department includes several organizations. The 297,000 mi2 (770,000 km2) of national forests and grasslands are managed by the United States Forest Service.[2] The safety of food produced and sold in the United States is ensured by the United States Food Safety and Inspection Service.[3] The Food Stamp Program works with the states to provide food to low-income people.[4] Advice for farmers and gardeners is provided by the United States Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.[5]

Secretary of Agriculture is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule,[6] thus earning a salary of US$221,400, as of January 2021.[7]

Since February 24, 2021, the current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who had previously served as the 30th secretary of agriculture in the Obama administration.

List of secretaries of agriculture[]

When the Department of Agriculture was established in 1862, its executive was a non-Cabinet position called the commissioner of agriculture. The commissioners of agriculture were:[8]

United States commissioners of agriculture
No. Portrait Name State of residence Took office Left office President(s)
1 Newton seated Isaac Newton Pennsylvania July 1, 1862 June 19, 1867 Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
2 Horace Capron.jpg Horace Capron December 4, 1867 July 31, 1871
Ulysses S. Grant
3 Frederick Watts Pennsylvania August 1, 1871 1877
4 William G. LeDuc.jpg William Gates LeDuc Minnesota July 1, 1877 1881 Rutherford B. Hayes
5 George B. Loring - Brady-Handy.jpg George B. Loring Massachusetts July 1, 1881 1885 James A. Garfield
Chester A. Arthur
6 NJColman.jpg Norman Jay Coleman Missouri April 3, 1885 February 14, 1889 Grover Cleveland

The position of secretary of agriculture was created when the department was elevated to Cabinet status in 1889. The following is a list of secretaries of agriculture, since the creation of the office in 1889.[9]

Parties

  Democratic (14)   Republican (18)

Status

  Acting Secretary of Agriculture

  Nominee for Secretary of Agriculture

No. Portrait Name State of residence Took office Left office President(s)
1 NJColman.jpg Norman Jay Coleman Missouri February 15, 1889 March 6, 1889 Grover Cleveland
2 Jeremiah McLain Rusk - Brady-Handy.jpg Jeremiah McLain Rusk Wisconsin March 6, 1889 March 6, 1893 Benjamin Harrison
3 J. Sterling Morton, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left.jpg Julius Sterling Morton Nebraska March 7, 1893 March 5, 1897 Grover Cleveland
4 James Wilson(U.S. politician)-seated.jpg James Wilson Iowa March 5, 1897 March 3, 1913 William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
William Howard Taft
5 DFHouston.jpg David F. Houston Missouri March 6, 1913 February 2, 1920 Woodrow Wilson
6 E.T. Meredith, ggbain.16011u.jpg Edwin T. Meredith Iowa February 2, 1920 March 4, 1921
7 Henry Cantwell Wallace.jpg Henry Cantwell Wallace Iowa March 5, 1921 October 25, 1924 Warren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
8 Howard Mason Gore.jpg Howard Mason Gore West Virginia November 22, 1924 March 4, 1925
9 W.M. Jardine.jpg William Marion Jardine Kansas March 5, 1925 March 4, 1929
10 Arthur M. Hyde.jpg Arthur M. Hyde Missouri March 6, 1929 March 4, 1933 Herbert Hoover
11 Henry-A.-Wallace-Townsend.jpeg Henry A. Wallace Iowa March 4, 1933 September 4, 1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt
12 CRW2.jpg Claude R. Wickard Indiana September 5, 1940 June 29, 1945
Harry S. Truman
13 Clinton P. Anderson, 13th Secretary of Agriculture, June 1945 - May 1948. - Flickr - USDAgov.jpg Clinton Presba Anderson New Mexico June 30, 1945 May 10, 1948
14 Charles F. Brannan.jpg Charles F. Brannan Colorado June 2, 1948 January 20, 1953
15 Ezra Taft Benson - USDA portrait.gif Ezra Taft Benson Utah January 21, 1953 January 20, 1961 Dwight D. Eisenhower
16 Orville L. Freeman, Secretary of Agriculture (1961-1969).jpg Orville Freeman Minnesota January 21, 1961 January 20, 1969 John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
17 Clifford Morris Hardin - USDA portrait.png Clifford M. Hardin Nebraska January 21, 1969 November 17, 1971 Richard Nixon
18 Earl Lauer Butz - USDA portrait.png Earl Butz Indiana December 2, 1971 October 4, 1976
Gerald Ford
19 John Albert Knebel - USDA portrait.png John Albert Knebel Oklahoma November 4, 1976 January 20, 1977
20 Robert Bergland - USDA portrait.jpg Robert Bergland Minnesota January 23, 1977 January 20, 1981 Jimmy Carter
21 John Block.jpg John Rusling Block Illinois January 23, 1981 February 14, 1986 Ronald Reagan
22 Richard E. Lyng, 22nd Secretary of Agriculture, March 1986 - January 1989. - Flickr - USDAgov.jpg Richard Edmund Lyng California March 7, 1986 January 21, 1989
23 Clayton Yeutter (cropped).jpg Clayton Keith Yeutter Nebraska February 16, 1989 March 1, 1991 George H. W. Bush
24 Edward R. Madigan (cropped).jpg Edward Rell Madigan Illinois March 8, 1991 January 20, 1993
25 Mike Espy (cropped).jpg Mike Espy Mississippi January 22, 1993 December 31, 1994 Bill Clinton
Rominger Official USDA Portrait.jpg Richard Rominger
Acting
California December 31, 1994 March 30, 1995
26 Dan glickman.jpg Dan Glickman Kansas March 30, 1995 January 20, 2001
27 Ann Veneman (cropped).jpg Ann Veneman California January 20, 2001 January 20, 2005 George W. Bush
28 Mike Johanns.jpg Mike Johanns Nebraska January 21, 2005 September 20, 2007
��� Charles F. Conner, official USDA photo portrait.jpg Charles F. Conner
Acting
Indiana September 20, 2007 January 28, 2008
29 SchaferEd-official (cropped).jpg Ed Schafer North Dakota January 28, 2008 January 20, 2009
30 Tom Vilsack, official USDA portrait (cropped).jpg Tom Vilsack
1st term
Iowa January 20, 2009 January 13, 2017 Barack Obama
Michael T. Scuse official portrait (cropped).jpg Michael Scuse
Acting
Delaware January 13, 2017 January 20, 2017
Michael Young 20170216-DM-RBN-7992 (32557392300).jpg Mike Young
Acting
January 20, 2017 April 25, 2017 Donald Trump
31 Sonny Perdue headshot.jpg Sonny Perdue Georgia April 25, 2017 January 20, 2021
Kevin Shea US Dept of Agriculture.jpg Kevin Shea
Acting
January 20, 2021 February 24, 2021 Joe Biden
32 20210427-OSEC-TEW-001 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (51148817903) (cropped).jpg Tom Vilsack
2nd term
Iowa February 24, 2021 Incumbent

Living former secretaries of agriculture[]

(Back L to R) Yeutter, Glickman, Espy, and Block. (Front L to R) Johanns, Vilsack, Veneman, and Schafer.

As of March 2022, there are eight living former secretaries of agriculture (with all secretaries that have served since 1993 still living), the oldest being John R. Block (served 1981–1986, born 1935). The most recent secretary of agriculture to die was Robert Bergland (served 1977–1981, born 1928), on December 9, 2018. The most recently serving secretary to die was Edward Rell Madigan (1991–1993, born 1936) on December 7, 1994.

Name Term Birth date (and age)
John A. Knebel 1976–1977 (1936-10-04) October 4, 1936 (age 85)
John R. Block 1981–1986 (1935-02-15) February 15, 1935 (age 87)
Mike Espy 1993–1994 (1953-11-30) November 30, 1953 (age 68)
Dan Glickman 1995–2001 (1944-11-24) November 24, 1944 (age 77)
Ann Veneman 2001–2005 (1949-06-29) June 29, 1949 (age 72)
Mike Johanns 2005–2007 (1950-06-18) June 18, 1950 (age 71)
Ed Schafer 2008–2009 (1946-08-08) August 8, 1946 (age 75)
Sonny Perdue 2017–2021 (1946-12-20) December 20, 1946 (age 75)

Line of succession[]

The line of succession for the secretary of agriculture is as follows:[10]

  1. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
  2. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services
  3. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Administration
  4. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services
  5. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics
  6. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety
  7. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment
  8. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development
  9. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs
  10. General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture
  11. Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary
  12. State Executive Directors of the Farm Service Agency (in order of seniority by length of unbroken tenure) for the States of:
  13. Regional Administrators of the Food and Nutrition Service (in order of seniority by length of unbroken tenure) for the:
  14. Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Agriculture
  15. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Civil Rights
  16. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Congressional Relations

References[]

  1. ^ "3 U.S. Code § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act". LII / Legal Information Institute.
  2. ^ "USDA Forest Service - Caring for the land and serving people". Fs.fed.us. Retrieved September 24, 2005.
  3. ^ "Home". Fs.fed.us. Retrieved September 24, 2005.
  4. ^ "FNS Food Stamp Program Home Page". Fns.usda.gov. Retrieved September 24, 2005.
  5. ^ "Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)". Csrees.usda.gov. Archived from the original on June 14, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2005.
  6. ^ 5 U.S.C. " § 5312"
  7. ^ "Salary Table No. 2021-EX Rates of Basic Pay for the Executive Schedule (EX)" (PDF).
  8. ^ Baker, Gladys L.; Rasmussen, Wayne D.; Wiser, Vivian; Porter, Jane M. (1963). "Century of Service: The First 100 Years of the United States Department of Agriculture". U.S. Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018. Alt URL
  9. ^ "Former Secretaries". U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  10. ^ "Amendments to Delegations of Authority, United States Department of Agriculture". Federalregister.gov. Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved October 29, 2016.

External links[]

U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Secretary of the Interior Order of precedence of the United States
as Secretary of the Agriculture
Succeeded byas Secretary of Commerce
U.S. presidential line of succession
Preceded by 9th in line Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""