Past Secretaries of the Interior

Since its founding in 1849, the U.S. Department of the Interior has been led by 53 past secretaries:

Thomas Ewing | 1st Secretary of the Interior | 1849–1850

Born: December 28, 1789, in West Liberty, Ohio County, Virginia
Appointed from: Ohio
Took Office: March 8, 1849
Served Under: President Zachary Taylor; President Millard Fillmore
Left Office: July 22, 1850
Length of Service: 1 year, 4 months, 15 days
Died: October 26, 1871
Interment: St. Mary's Cemetery, Lancaster, Ohio

Thomas McKennan | 2nd Secretary of the Interior | 1850

Born: December 31, 1794, in New Castle, Delaware
Appointed from: Pennsylvania
Took Office: August 15, 1850
Served Under: President Millard Fillmore
Left Office: August 26, 1850
Length of Service: 12 days
Died: July 9, 1852
Interment: Washington Cemetery, Washington, Pennsylvania

Alexander Hugh Holmes Stuart | 3rd Secretary of the Interior | 1850–1853

Born: April 2, 1807, in Staunton, Virginia
Appointed from: Virginia
Took Office: September 14, 1850
Served Under: President Millard Fillmore
Left Office: March 7, 1853
Length of Service: 2 years, 5 months, 21 days
Died: February 13, 1891
Interment: Thornrose Cemetery, Staunton, Virginia

Robert McClelland | 4th Secretary of the Interior | 1853–1857

Robert McClelland
Born: August 1, 1807, in Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Appointed from: Michigan
Took Office: March 8, 1853
Served Under: President Franklin Pierce
Left Office: March 9, 1857
Length of Service: 4 years, 2 days
Died: August 30, 1880
Interment: Elwood Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan

Jacob Thompson | 5th Secretary of the Interior | 1857–1861

Born: May 15, 1810, Leasburg, in Caswell County, North Carolina
Appointed from: Mississippi
Took Office: March 10, 1857
Served Under: President James Buchanan
Left Office: January 8, 1861
Length of Service: 3 years, 9 months, 29 days
Died: March 24, 1885
Interment: Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee

Caleb Blood Smith | 6th Secretary of the Interior | 1861–1862

Born: April 16, 1808, in Boston, Massachusetts
Appointed from: Indiana
Took Office: March 5, 1861
Served Under: President Abraham Lincoln
Left Office: December 31, 1862
Length of Service: 1 year, 9 months, 26 days
Died: January 7, 1864
Interment: City Cemetery, Connersville, Indiana

John Palmer Usher | 7th Secretary of the Interior | 1863–1865

Born: January 9, 1816, in Brookfield, Madison County, New York
Appointed from: Indiana
Took Office: January 1, 1863
Served Under: President Abraham Lincoln
Left Office: May 15, 1865
Length of Service: 2 years, 4 months, 15 days
Died: April 13, 1889
Interment: Oak Hill Cemetery, Lawrence, Kansas

James Harlan | 8th Secretary of the Interior | 1865–1866

Born: August 26, 1820, in Clark County, Illinois
Appointed from: Iowa
Took Office: May 16, 1865
Served Under: President Andrew Johnson
Left Office: August 31, 1866
Length of Service: 1 year, 3 months, 15 days
Died: October 5, 1899
Interment: Forest Home Cemetery, Henry County, Iowa

Orville Hickman Browning | 9th Secretary of the Interior | 1866–1869

Born: February 10, 1806, in Cynthiana, Harrison County, Kentucky
Appointed from: Illinois
Took Office: September 1, 1866
Served Under: President Andrew Johnson
Left Office: March 4, 1869
Length of Service: 2 years, 6 months, 4 days
Died: August 10, 1881
Interment: Woodland Cemetery, Quincy, Illinois

Jacob Dolson Cox | 10th Secretary of the Interior | 1869–1870

Born: October 27, 1828, in Montreal, Canada
Appointed from: Ohio
Took Office: March 5, 1869
Served Under: President Ulysses S. Grant
Left Office: October 31, 1870
Length of Service: 1 year, 7 months, 26 days
Died: August 4, 1900
Interment: Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio

Columbus Delano | 11th Secretary of the Interior | 1870–1875

Born: June 5, 1809, in Shoreham, Vermont
Appointed from: Ohio
Took Office: November 1, 1870
Served Under: President Ulysses S. Grant
Left Office: September 30, 1875
Length of Service: 4 years, 11 months
Died: October 23, 1896
Interment: Mt. Vernon Cemetery, Mt. View, Ohio

Zachariah Chandler | 12th Secretary of the Interior | 1875–1877

Born: December 10, 1813, in Bedford, New Hampshire
Appointed from: Michigan
Took Office: October 19, 1875
Served Under: President Ulysses S. Grant
Left Office: March 11, 1877
Length of Service: 1 year, 4 months, 23 days
Died: November 1, 1879
Interment: Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan

Carl Schurz | 13th Secretary of the Interior | 1877–1881

Born: March 2, 1829, in Liblar, near Cologne, Germany
Appointed from: Missouri
Took Office: March 12, 1877
Served Under: President Rutherford B. Hayes
Left Office: March 7, 1881
Length of Service: 3 years, 11 months, 26 days
Died: May 14, 1906
Interment: Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Tarrytown, New York

Samuel Jordan Kirkwood | 14th Secretary of the Interior | 1881–1882

Born: December 20, 1813, in Harford County, Maryland
Appointed from: Iowa
Nominated: Unknown
Confirmed: Unknown
Took Office: March 8, 1881
Served Under: President James A. Garfield; President Chester A. Arthur
Left Office: April 17, 1882
Length of Service: 1 year, 1 month, 9 days
Died: September 1, 1894
Interment: Oakland Cemetery, Iowa City, Iowa

Henry Moore Teller | 15th Secretary of the Interior | 1882–1885

Born: May 23, 1830, in Granger, Allegany County, New York
Appointed from: Colorado
Took Office: April 18, 1882
Served Under: President Chester A. Arthur
Left Office: March 3, 1885
Length of Service: 2 years, 10 months, 16 days
Died: February 23, 1914
Interment: Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colorado

Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar | 16th Secretary of the Interior | 1885–1888

Born: September 17, 1825, in Eatonton, Putnam County, Georgia
Appointed from: Mississippi
Nominated: Unknown
Took Office: March 6, 1885
Served Under: President Grover Cleveland
Left Office: January 10, 1888
Length of Service: 2 years, 10 months, 5 days
Died: January 23, 1893
Interment: St. Peter's Cemetery, Oxford, Mississippi

William Freeman Vilas | 17th Secretary of the Interior | 1888–1889

Born: July 9, 1840, in Chelsea, Orange County, Vermont
Appointed from: Wisconsin
Nominated: December 12, 1887
Confirmed: January 10, 1888
Took Office: January 16, 1888
Served Under: President Grover Cleveland
Left Office: March 6, 1889
Length of Service: 1 year, 1 month, 21 days
Died: August 28, 1908
Interment: Forest Hill Cemetery, Madison, Wisconsin

John Willock Noble | 18th Secretary of the Interior | 1889–1893

Born: October 26, 1831, in Lancaster, Ohio
Appointed from: Missouri
Nominated: March 5, 1889
Confirmed: March 5, 1889
Took Office: March 7, 1889
Served Under: President Benjamin Harrison
Left Office: March 6, 1893
Length of Service: 4 years
Died: March 22, 1912, St. Louis, Missouri
Interment: Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri

Michael Hoke Smith | 19th Secretary of the Interior | 1893–1896

Born: September 2, 1855, in Newton, Catawba County, North Carolina
Appointed from: Georgia
Nominated: March 6, 1893
Confirmed: March 6, 1893
Took Office: March 6, 1893
Served Under: President Grover Cleveland
Left Office: September 1, 1896
Length of Service: 3 years, 5 months, 26 days
Died: November 22, 1931
Interment: Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia

David Rowland Francis | 20th Secretary of the Interior | 1896–1897

Born: October 1850, in Richmond, Kentucky
Appointed from: Missouri
Nominated: December 9, 1896
Confirmed: January 18, 1897
Took Office (acting): September 3, 1896
Served Under: President Grover Cleveland
Left Office: March 5, 1897
Length of Service: 6 months, 3 days
Died: January 15, 1927
Interment: Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri

Cornelius Newton Bliss | 21st Secretary of the Interior | 1897–1899

Born: January 26, 1833, in Fall River, Massachusetts
Appointed from: New York
Nominated: March 5, 1897
Confirmed: March 5, 1897
Took Office: March 6, 1897
Served Under: President William McKinley
Left Office: February 19, 1899
Length of Service: 1 year, 11 months, 14 days
Died: October 9, 1911
Interment: Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York

Ethan Allen Hitchcock | 22nd Secretary of the Interior | 1899–1907

Born: September 19, 1835, in Mobile, Alabama
Appointed from: Missouri
Nominated: December 21, 1898
Confirmed: December 21, 1898
Took Office: February 20, 1899
Served Under: President William McKinley; President Theodore Roosevelt
Left Office: March 4, 1907
Length of Service: 8 years, 14 days
Died: April 9, 1909, Washington, D.C.
Interment: Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri

James Rudolph Garfield | 23rd Secretary of the Interior | 1907–1909

Born: October 17, 1865, in Hiram, Ohio
Appointed from: Ohio
Nominated: December 3, 1906
Confirmed: January 15, 1907
Took Office: March 5, 1907
Served Under: President Theodore Roosevelt; President William H. Taft
Left Office: March 5, 1909
Length of Service: 2 years, 1 day
Died: March 24, 1950
Interment: Mentor Municipal Cemetery, Mentor, Ohio

Richard Achilles Ballinger | 24th Secretary of the Interior | 1909–1911

Born: July 9, 1858, in Boonesboro, Iowa
Appointed from: Washington
Nominated: March 5, 1909
Confirmed: March 5, 1909
Took Office: March 6, 1909
Served Under: President William H. Taft
Left Office: March 12, 1911
Length of Service: 2 years, 7 days
Died: June 6, 1922, Seattle, Washington
Interment: Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, Washington

Walter Lowrie Fisher | 25th Secretary of the Interior | 1911–1913

Born: July 4, 1862, in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia)
Appointed from: Illinois
Nominated: April 13, 1911
Confirmed: April 17, 1911
Took Office: March 13, 1911
Served Under: President William H. Taft
Left Office: March 5, 1913
Length of Service: 1 year, 11 months, 23 days
Died: November 9, 1935
Interment: Hanover, Indiana

Franklin Knight Lane | 26th Secretary of the Interior | 1913–1920

Born: July 15, 1864, in DeSable Prince Edward Island, Canada
Appointed from: California
Nominated: March 5, 1913
Confirmed: March 5, 1913
Took Office: March 6, 1913
Served Under: President Woodrow Wilson
Left Office: February 29, 1920
Length of Service: 6 years, 11 months, 24 days
Died: May 18, 1921, Rochester, Minnesota
Interment: Ashes scattered over Yosemite

John Barton Payne | 27th Secretary of the Interior | 1920–1921

Born: January 26, 1855, in Pruntytown, Virginia (now West Virginia)
Appointed from: Illinois
Nominated: February 14, 1920
Confirmed: February 28, 1920
Took Office: March 15, 1920
Served Under: President Woodrow Wilson
Left Office: March 4, 1921
Length of Service: 11 months, 20 days
Died: January 24, 1935
Interment: Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

 

Albert Bacon Fall | 28th Secretary of the Interior | 1921–1923

Born: November 26, 1861, in Frankfort, Kentucky
Appointed from: New Mexico
Nominated: March 4, 1921
Confirmed: March 4, 1921
Took Office: March 5, 1921
Served Under: President Warren G. Harding
Left Office: March 4, 1923
Length of Service: 2 years
Died: November 30, 1944
Interment: Evergreen Cemetery, Three Rivers, New Mexico

Hubert Work | 29th Secretary of the Interior | 1923–1928

Born: July 3, 1860, in Marion Center, Indiana County, Pennsylvania
Appointed from: Colorado
Nominated: February 27, 1923
Confirmed: February 27, 1923
Took Office: March 5, 1923
Served Under: President Warren G. Harding; President Calvin Coolidge
Left Office: July 24, 1928
Length of Service: 5 years, 4 months, 20 days
Died: December 14, 1942
Interment: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

Roy Owen West | 30th Secretary of the Interior | 1928–1929

Born: October 27, 1868, in Georgetown, Illinois
Appointed from: Illinois
Confirmed: July 20, 1928
Took Office: July 25, 1928
Served Under: President Calvin Coolidge
Left Office: March 4, 1929
Length of Service: 7 months, 9 days
Died: November 29, 1958
Interment: Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois

Ray Lyman Wilbur | 31st Secretary of the Interior | 1929–1933

Born: April 13, 1875, in Boonesboro, Iowa
Appointed from: California
Nominated: March 5, 1929
Confirmed: March 5, 1929
Took Office: March 5, 1929
Served Under: President Herbert C. Hoover
Left Office: March 4, 1933
Length of Service: 4 years
Died: June 26, 1949
Interment: Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto, California

Harold LeClair Ickes | 32nd Secretary of the Interior | 1933–1946

Born: March 15, 1874, in Frankstown Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania
Appointed from: Illinois
Nominated: March 4, 1933
Confirmed: March 4, 1933
Took Office: March 4, 1933
Served Under: President Franklin D. Roosevelt; President Harry S. Truman
Left Office: February 15, 1946
Length of Service: 12 years, 11 months, 12 days
Died: February 3, 1952
Interment: Sandy Springs, Maryland

Julius Albert Krug | 33rd Secretary of the Interior | 1946–1949

Born: November 23, 1907, in Madison, Wisconsin
Appointed from: Wisconsin
Nominated: February 26, 1946
Confirmed: March 5, 1946
Took Office: March 18, 1946
Served Under: President Harry S. Truman
Left Office: December 1, 1949
Length of Service: 3 years, 8 months, 14 days
Died: March 26, 1970
Interment: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

Oscar Littleton Chapman | 34th Secretary of the Interior | 1950–1953

Born: October 22, 1896, in Omega, Halifax County, Virginia
Appointed from: Colorado
Nominated: January 5, 1950
Confirmed: January 18, 1950
Took Office (acting): December 1, 1949
Served Under: Pres. Harry S. Truman
Left Office: January 20, 1953
Length of Service: 3 years, 1 month, 20 days
Died: February 8, 1978
Interment: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

Douglas McKay | 35th Secretary of the Interior | 1953–1956

Born: June 24, 1893, in Portland, Oregon
Appointed from: Oregon
Nominated: January 20, 1953
Confirmed: January 21, 1953
Took Office: January 21, 1953
Served Under: President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Left Office: April 15, 1956
Length of Service: 3 years, 2 months, 25 days
Died: July 22, 1959
Interment: Bellcrest Memorial Cemetery, Salem, Oregon

Fred Andrew Seaton | 36th Secretary of the Interior | 1956–1961

Born: December 11, 1909, in Washington, D.C.
Appointed from: Nebraska
Nominated: May 28, 1956
Confirmed: June 5, 1956
Took Office: June 8, 1956
Served Under: President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Left Office: January 20, 1961
Length of Service: 4 years, 7 months, 13 days
Died: January 16, 1974
Interment: Parkview Memorial Cemetery, Hastings, Nebraska

Stewart Lee Udall | 37th Secretary of the Interior | 1961–1969

Born: January 31, 1920, in St. Johns, Arizona
Appointed from: Arizona
Nominated: January 21, 1961
Confirmed: January 21, 1961
Took Office: January 21, 1961
Served Under: President John F. Kennedy; President Lyndon B. Johnson
Left Office: January 20, 1969
Length of Service: 8 years
Interment: March 20, 2010

Walter J. Hickel | 38th Secretary of the Interior | 1969–1970

Born: August 18, 1919, in Ellinwood, Kansas
Appointed from: Alaska
Nominated: December 11, 1968
Confirmed: January 23, 1969
Took Office: January 24, 1969
Served Under: President Richard M. Nixon
Left Office: November 25, 1970
Length of Service: 1 year, 10 months, 2 days
Died: May 7, 2010
Interment: Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery, Anchorage, Alaska

Rogers Clark Ballard Morton | 39th Secretary of the Interior | 1971–1975

Born: September 19, 1914, in Louisville, Kentucky
Appointed from: Maryland
Nominated: January 25, 1971
Confirmed: January 28, 1971
Took Office: January 29, 1971
Served Under: President Richard M. Nixon; President Gerald R. Ford
Left Office: April 30, 1975
Length of Service: 4 years, 3 months, 2 days
Died: April 19, 1979
Interment: Wye Church Churchyard, Talbot County, Maryland

Stanley K. Hathaway | 40th Secretary of the Interior | 1975

Born: July 19, 1924, in Osceola, Nebraska
Appointed from: Wyoming
Nominated: April 4, 1975
Confirmed: June 11, 1975
Took Office: June 12, 1975
Served Under: President Gerald R. Ford
Left Office: October 9, 1975
Length of Service: 3 months, 26 days
Died: October 4, 2005
Interment: Valley View Cemetery, Goshen County, Wyoming

Thomas S. Kleppe | 41st Secretary of the Interior | 1975–1977

Born: July 1, 1919, in Kintyre, North Dakota
Appointed from: North Dakota
Nominated: September 9, 1975
Confirmed: October 9, 1975
Took Office: October 17, 1975
Served Under: President Gerald R. Ford
Left Office: January 20, 1977
Length of Service: 1 year, 3 months, 4 days
Died: March 2, 2007
Interment: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

Cecil D. Andrus | 42nd Secretary of the Interior | 1977–1981

Born: August 25, 1931, in Hood River, Oregon
Appointed from: Idaho
Nominated: December 18, 1976
Confirmed: January 20, 1977
Took Office: January 23, 1977
Served Under: President Jimmy Carter
Left Office: January 20, 1981
Length of Service: 3 years, 11 months, 28 days
Died: August 24, 2017

James G. Watt | 43rd Secretary of the Interior | 1981–1983

Born: January 31, 1938, in Lusk, Wyoming
Appointed from: Colorado
Nominated: January 20, 1981
Confirmed: January 22, 1981
Took Office: January 23, 1981
Served Under: President Ronald Reagan
Left Office: November 8, 1983
Length of Service: 2 years, 9 months, 16 days
Died: May 27, 2023

William Patrick Clark | 44th Secretary of the Interior | 1983–1985

Born: October 23, 1931, in Oxnard, California
Appointed from: California
Nominated: October 13, 1983
Confirmed: November 18, 1983
Took Office: November 18, 1983
Served Under: President Ronald Reagan
Left Office: February 7, 1985
Length of Service: 1 year, 2 months, 20 days
Died: August 10, 2013

Donald Paul Hodel | 45th Secretary of the Interior | 1985–1989

Born: May 23, 1935, in Portland, Oregon
Appointed from: Oregon
Nominated: January 10, 1985
Confirmed: February 6, 1985
Took Office: February 8, 1985
Served Under: President Ronald Reagan
Left Office: January 20, 1989
Length of Service: 3 years, 11 months, 12 days

Manuel Luján Jr. | 46th Secretary of the Interior | 1989–1993

Born: May 12, 1928, in San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico
Appointed from: New Mexico
Nominated: December 22, 1988
Confirmed: February 2, 1989
Took Office: February 3, 1989
Served Under: President George H. W. Bush
Left Office: January 20, 1993
Length of Service: 3 years, 11 months, 17 days
Died: April 25, 2019
Interment: Gate of Heaven Catholic Cemetery, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Bruce Babbitt | 47th Secretary of the Interior | 1993–2001

Born: June 27, 1938, in Flagstaff, Arizona
Appointed from: Arizona
Nominated: December 27, 1992
Confirmed: January 22, 1993
Took Office: January 22, 1993
Served Under: President William J. Clinton
Left Office: January 2, 2001
Length of Service: 8 years

Gale A. Norton | 48th Secretary of the Interior | 2001–2006

Born: March 11, 1954, in Wichita, Kansas
Appointed from: Colorado
Nominated: December 29, 2000
Confirmed: January 30, 2001
Took Office: January 31, 2001
Served Under: President George W. Bush
Left Office: March 31, 2006
Length of Service: 5 years, 2 months

Dirk Kempthorne | 49th Secretary of the Interior | 2006–2009

Born: October 29, 1951, in San Diego, California
Appointed from: Idaho
Nominated: December 29, 2000
Confirmed: May 26, 2006
Took Office: May 29, 2006
Served Under: President George W. Bush
Left Office: January 19, 2009
Length of Service: 2 years, 7 months

Ken Salazar | 50th Secretary of the Interior | 2009–2013

Born: March 2, 1955, in Alamosa, Colorado
Appointed from: Colorado
Nominated: January 20, 2009
Confirmed: January 20, 2009
Took Office: January 20, 2009
Served Under: President Barack Obama
Left Office: April 12, 2013
Length of Service: 4 years, 2+ months

Sally Jewell | 51st Secretary of the Interior | 2013–2017

Born: February 21, 1956, in London, UK
Appointed from: Washington
Nominated: February 6, 2013
Confirmed: April 10, 2013
Took Office: April 12, 2013
Served Under: President Barack Obama
Left Office: January 20, 2017
Length of Service: 3 years, 9+ months

Ryan Zinke | 52nd Secretary of the Interior | 2017–2019

Born: November 1, 1961, in Bozeman, Montana
Appointed from: Montana
Nominated: December 13, 2016
Confirmed: March 1, 2017
Took Office: March 2, 2017
Served Under: President Donald J. Trump
Left Office: January 2, 2019
Length of Service: 1 year, 10 months

David Bernhardt | 53rd Secretary of the Interior | 2019–2021

Born: August 17, 1969, in Rifle, Colorado
Appointed from: Colorado
Nominated: February 4, 2019
Confirmed: April 11, 2019
Took Office: April 11, 2019
Served Under: President Donald J. Trump
Left Office: January 20, 2021
Length of Service: 1 year, 9+ months