United States Secretary of Transportation

Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox official post 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.<ref name=code/>

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.<ref name="DOTHist" /> As of January 2021, the secretary receives an annual salary of $221,400.<ref name="Salary">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Usc2.</ref>

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.<ref name="DOTHist">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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."<ref name="DOTHist" />

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,<ref name="DOTHist" /> 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,<ref name=CNBC>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while Norman Mineta was the oldest, retiring at age 74.<ref name="DOTBio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Buttigieg is also the first openly gay man to hold the position, as well as being the first openly gay Cabinet secretary, and the first to seek a full senate confirmation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In April 2008, Mary Peters launched the official blog of the secretary of transportation called The Fast Lane.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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

Template:Legend2 (8) Template:Legend2 (12)

Status

Template:Abbr	Portrait	Secretary	State of residence	Took office	Left office	President
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">1	Black-and-white photo of a balding man in a suit and striped tie	Template:Sortname	Florida	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1963–1969)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">2	Black-and-white photo of man in a suit and black tie	Template:Sortname	Massachusetts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1969–1974)
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">3	Color photo of a bald man wearing glasses and a suit with a striped tie	Template:Sortname	California	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |						Template:Sortname (1974–1977)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">4	Black-and-white photo of an African American man in a suit wearing glasses looking to his left	Template:Sortname	Pennsylvania	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">5	Black-and-white photo of a man in a suit smiling	Template:Sortname	Washington	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1977–1981)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">6	Black-and-white photo of a man with a wide smile and short curly hair wearing a light-colored suit	Template:Sortname	Oregon	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">7	Black-and-white photo of a man wearing a suit sitting at a desk with his hands folded on it and the DOT logo and US flag behind him	Template:Sortname	Pennsylvania	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1981–1989)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">8	Photo of a smiling woman wearing earrings	Template:Sortname	Kansas	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">9	Black-and-white photo of a man in a suit and combed-over hair with the US flag behind him	Template:Sortname	North Carolina	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">10	Smiling man with thinning hair wearing a suit and a blue tie with the US flag behind him	Template:Sortname	Illinois	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1989–1993)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">11	Smiling man wearing a suit and a red tie	Template:Sortname	Massachusetts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">12	Hispanic man with large glasses and black hair with the US flag behind him	Template:Sortname	Colorado	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1993–2001)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">13	African American man with short hair and a short mustache	Template:Sortname	Arkansas	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
Template:Ifsubst style="color:black">–	Acting United States Secretary of Transportation	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Virginia	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=4 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2001–2009)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">14	Older Japanese American man with glasses wearing a suit with a red tie with the US flag behind him	Template:Sortname	California	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
Template:Ifsubst style="color:black">–	Acting United States Secretary of Transportation	Template:Sortname Template:Small	New York	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">15	Woman with long brown hair with the US flag behind her	Template:Sortname	Arizona	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">16	File:Ray LaHood official DOT portrait.jpg	Template:Sortname	Illinois	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2009–2017)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">17	Mayor Anthony Foxx, Charlotte NC	Template:Sortname	North Carolina	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
Template:Ifsubst style="color:black">–	File:Michael Huerta official picture.jpg	Template:Sortname Template:Small	California	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2017–2021)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">18	File:Elaine Chao official portrait 2 (cropped).jpg	Template:Sortname	Kentucky	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
Template:Ifsubst style="color:black">–	File:Steven G. Bradbury official photo.jpg	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Oregon	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
Template:Ifsubst style="color:black">–	File:Lana Hurdle US Dept of Transportation.jpg	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Virginia	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2021–2025)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">19	File:Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation (cropped).jpg	Template:Sortname	IndianaTemplate:Efn	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
Template:Ifsubst style="color:black">–	File:Judith-Kaleta.jpg	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Illinois	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2025–present)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">20	File:Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy Official Portrait (cropped).jpg	Sean Duffy	Wisconsin	Template:Dts	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:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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

Notes

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References

General

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External links

• Template:Official website
• The Department of Transportation Act

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