United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
| United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the Department | |
 Flag of the Secretary | |
| United States Department of Veterans Affairs | |
| Style | Mr. Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal) |
| Member of | Cabinet |
| Reports to | President of the United States |
| Seat | Washington, D.C. |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | 38 U.S.C. § 303 |
| Formation | March 15, 1989 |
| First holder | Ed Derwinski |
| Succession | Seventeenth[1] |
| Deputy | Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs |
| Salary | Executive Schedule, level I |
| Website | VA.gov |
The United States secretary of veterans affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits, health care, and national veterans' memorials and cemeteries. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and second to last at sixteenth in the line of succession to the presidency (the position was last until the addition of the United States Department of Homeland Security in 2006[2]). Until the appointment of David Shulkin in 2017, all appointees and acting appointees to the post were United States military veterans, but that is not a requirement to fill the position.
When the post of Secretary is vacant, the United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs[3] or any other person designated by the President serves as Acting Secretary[3] until the President nominates and the United States Senate confirms a new Secretary.
Denis McDonough is currently serving as the 11th secretary of veterans affairs since February 9, 2021 under President Joe Biden.
List of secretaries of veterans affairs[]
- Parties
No party (2) Democratic (3) Republican (6)
- Status
| No. | Secretary | Term of office | President(s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | State of residence | Took office | Left office | Term length | |||
| 1 | 
|
Ed Derwinski | Illinois | March 15, 1989 | September 26, 1992 | 3 years, 195 days | George H. W. Bush | |
| – | 
|
Anthony Principi[1] Acting |
California | September 26, 1992 | January 20, 1993 | 116 days | ||
| 2 | 
|
Jesse Brown | Illinois | January 22, 1993 | July 13, 1997 | 4 years, 172 days | Bill Clinton | |
| – | 
|
Hershel W. Gober[2] Acting |
Arkansas | July 13, 1997 | January 2, 1998 | 173 days | ||
| 3 | 
|
Togo D. West Jr. | District of Columbia | January 2, 1998[3] | May 4, 1998 | 122 days | ||
| May 4, 1998 | July 25, 2000 | 2 years, 82 days | ||||||
| – |
|
Hershel W. Gober[2] Acting |
Arkansas | July 25, 2000 | January 20, 2001 | 179 days | ||
| 4 |
|
Anthony Principi | California | January 23, 2001 | January 26, 2005 | 4 years, 3 days | George W. Bush | |
| 5 | 
|
Jim Nicholson | Colorado | January 26, 2005 | October 1, 2007 | 2 years, 248 days | ||
| – | 
|
Gordon H. Mansfield[4] Acting |
Florida | October 1, 2007 | December 20, 2007 | 80 days | ||
| 6 | 
|
James Peake | District of Columbia | December 20, 2007 | January 20, 2009 | 1 year, 31 days | ||
| 7 | 
|
Eric Shinseki | Hawaii | January 20, 2009 | May 30, 2014 | 5 years, 130 days | Barack Obama | |
| – | 
|
Sloan D. Gibson Acting |
Alabama | May 30, 2014 | July 30, 2014 | 61 days | ||
| 8 | 
|
Bob McDonald | Ohio | July 30, 2014 | January 20, 2017 | 2 years, 174 days | ||
| – | 
|
Robert Snyder Acting |
West Virginia | January 20, 2017 | February 14, 2017 | 25 days | Donald Trump | |
| 9 | 
|
David Shulkin | Pennsylvania | February 14, 2017 | March 28, 2018 | 1 year, 42 days | ||
| – | 
|
Robert Wilkie Acting |
North Carolina | March 28, 2018 | May 29, 2018 | 62 days | ||
| – | 
|
Peter O'Rourke Acting |
Virginia | May 29, 2018 | July 30, 2018 | 62 days | ||
| 10 | 
|
Robert Wilkie | North Carolina | July 30, 2018 | January 20, 2021 | 2 years, 174 days | ||
| – | 
|
Dat Tran Acting |
January 20, 2021 | February 9, 2021 | 20 days | Joe Biden | ||
| 11 | 
|
Denis McDonough | Minnesota | February 9, 2021 | Incumbent | 225 days | ||
1 Anthony Principi served as Acting Secretary in his capacity as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs September 26, 1992 – January 20, 1993.
2 Hershel W. Gober served as Acting Secretary in his capacity as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs July 13, 1997 – January 2, 1998 and July 25, 2000 – January 20, 2001.[4]
3 West served as Acting Secretary from January 2, 1998[5] to May 4, 1998.[6]
4 Gordon H. Mansfield served as Acting Secretary in his capacity as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs October 1 – December 20, 2007.[7]
Living former secretaries of veterans affairs[]
As of September 2021, there are seven living former secretaries of veterans affairs (with all secretaries that have served since 2001 still living), the oldest being Jim Nicholson (served 2005–2007, born 1938). The most recent secretary of veterans affairs to die, as well as the recently serving secretary to die, was Togo D. West Jr. (served 1998–2000, born 1942), on March 8, 2018.
| Name | Term of office | Date of birth (and age) |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Principi | 2001–2005 | April 16, 1944 |
| Jim Nicholson | 2005–2007 | February 4, 1938 |
| James Peake | 2007–2009 | June 18, 1944 |
| Eric Shinseki | 2009–2014 | November 28, 1942 |
| Robert A. McDonald | 2014–2017 | June 20, 1953 |
| David Shulkin | 2017–2018 | July 22, 1959 |
| Robert Wilkie | 2018–2021 | August 2, 1962 |
See also[]
- Administrator of Veterans Affairs (United States)
- Veterans Health Administration
References[]
- ^ https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/3/19
- ^ Public Law 109-177 §.503
- ^ Jump up to: a b : Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Accessed January 13, 2008.
- ^ "Gober Takes Over Top Spot at VA" (Press release). Department of Veterans Affairs. July 25, 2000. Archived from the original on July 13, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ "President Clinton Names Togo D. West Jr. As Acting Secretary Of The Department Of Veterans' Affairs" (Press release). White House. December 2, 1997. Archived from the original on October 5, 2006. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
- ^ Staff (May 1999). "The Honorable Togo D. West Jr". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Archived from the original on March 4, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
- ^ UPI. Peake sworn in as VA secretary Archived February 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, December 20, 2007. Accessed December 21, 2007.
External links[]
- Cabinet of the United States
- Lists of members of the Cabinet of the United States
- United States Department of Veterans Affairs
- United States Secretaries of Veterans Affairs