List of Hispanic and Latino American United States Cabinet members

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Official portrait of Secretary Marco Rubio.jpg
Marco Rubio is the highest-ranking Hispanic and Latino American to lead the Federal Executive Department; he currently holds the post of Secretary of State.

The Cabinet of the United States, which is the principal advisory body to the President of the United States, has had 22 Hispanic and Latino American members altogether, with two of them serving in multiple positions for a total of 24 cabinet appointments. Of that number, 18 different Latino American individuals held a total of 19 permanent cabinet posts, having served as the heads of the federal executive departments; five more Latin Americans held cabinet-level positions, which can differ under each president; and one officeholder served in both cabinet and cabinet-rank roles. The U.S. Census Bureau defines Hispanic or Latino Americans as citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race. [1] No Hispanic or Latino American ever held a cabinet position before the civil rights movement or the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination in public accommodations, employment, and labor unions. [2]

Contents

Lauro Cavazos became the first Hispanic to serve in a president's cabinet when he was appointed Secretary of Education by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. [3] Federico Peña was appointed Secretary of Transportation by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and served as Secretary of Energy during part of Clinton's second term, thus making him the first Latino American to hold two different cabinet positions. [4] Aida Álvarez became the first Latina woman to serve in the president's cabinet when Clinton picked her for the cabinet-rank position of Administrator of the Small Business Administration in 1997. However, the first Latina to lead a permanent cabinet office was Hilda Solis when President Barack Obama appointed her Secretary of Labor in 2009. Mel Martínez, who was born in Cuba, became the first foreign-born Hispanic and Latino American to serve in the presidential cabinet when President George W. Bush named him Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 2001. [5] [a]

President Joe Biden named the most Hispanic and Latino Americans as secretaries to his initial Cabinet: former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as Secretary of Health and Human Services; Connecticut Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona as Secretary of Education; and DHS Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland security, exceeding by one the record set by President Bill Clinton and equaled by Barack Obama. However, including cabinet reshuffles during his second term in office, Obama still holds the record for most Hispanic and Latino Americans appointed to permanent cabinet positions with five, the most of any presidency, therefore surpassing Clinton's previous number of four.

The Departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, and Labor have had the most Hispanic or Latino American secretaries with three. The Departments of Energy and Interior have had two; the Departments of Commerce, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, State, and Transportation have had one. No Hispanic or Latino American has led departments of Agriculture, Defense, Treasury, or Veterans Affairs. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

The totals for this list include only Hispanic and Latino American presidential appointees confirmed (if necessary) by the U.S. Senate to cabinet or cabinet-level positions and taking their oath of office; they do not include acting officials or nominees awaiting confirmation.

Permanent cabinet members

The following list includes Hispanic and Latino Americans who have held permanent positions in the cabinet, all of whom are in the line of succession to the presidency. The table below is organized based on the beginning of their terms in office. Officeholders whose terms begin the same day are listed according to the presidential order of succession.

 *  denotes the first Hispanic and Latino American holder of that particular office
No.PortraitNameOffice Succession [13] Term startTerm endPartyAdministration(s)Ref.
1 Cavazos.jpg Lauro Cavazos * Secretary of Education 16September 20, 1988December 12, 1990 Republican Reagan [3]
Bush Sr.
2 Lujan manuel.jpg Manuel Lujan Jr. * Secretary of the Interior 8February 3, 1989January 20, 1993 [14]
3 Federico pena.jpg Federico Peña * Secretary of Transportation 14January 21, 1993February 14, 1997 Democratic Clinton [4]
4 Henry Cisneros official portrait.jpg Henry Cisneros * Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 13January 22, 1993January 20, 1997 [15]
(3) Secretary Federico Pena portrait.jpg Federico Peña * Secretary of Energy 15March 12, 1997June 30, 1998 [4]
5 Bill Richardson, official DOE photo.png Bill Richardson Secretary of Energy15August 18, 1998January 20, 2001 [16]
6 Former HUD Secretaries- Mel Martinez - Former HUD Secretaries- Mel Martinez (copies) - DPLA - ea6e4fab6418e4325d33e11ff9aa5bed.jpg Mel Martínez Secretary of Housing and Urban Development13 [a] January 24, 2001August 13, 2004Republican Bush Jr. [5]
7 Alberto Gonzales - official DoJ photograph.jpg Alberto Gonzales * Attorney General 7February 3, 2005September 17, 2007 [17]
8 Carlos Gutierrez official portrait.jpg Carlos Gutierrez * Secretary of Commerce 10 [a] February 7, 2005January 20, 2009 [18]
9 Kensalazar.jpg Ken Salazar Secretary of the Interior8January 20, 2009April 12, 2013Democratic Obama [19]
10 Hilda Solis official DOL portrait.jpg Hilda Solis * Secretary of Labor 11February 24, 2009January 22, 2013 [20]
11 Official portrait of United States Secretary of Labor Tom Perez.jpg Tom Perez Secretary of Labor11July 23, 2013January 20, 2017 [21]
12 Julian Castro's Official HUD Portrait.jpg Julian Castro Secretary of Housing and Urban Development13July 28, 2014January 20, 2017 [22]
13 John B. King official portrait.jpg John King Jr. Secretary of Education16January 1, 2016January 20, 2017 [23]
14 Alexander Acosta official portrait.jpg Alexander Acosta Secretary of Labor11April 28, 2017July 19, 2019Republican Trump I [24]
15 Secretary Mayorkas Official Photo.jpg Alejandro Mayorkas * Secretary of Homeland Security 18 [a] February 2, 2021January 20, 2025Democratic Biden [25]
16 Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, official portrait.jpg Miguel Cardona Secretary of Education16March 2, 2021January 20, 2025 [26]
17 HHS Xavier Becerra.jpg Xavier Becerra * Secretary of Health and Human Services 12March 19, 2021January 20, 2025 [27]
18 Official portrait of Secretary Marco Rubio, January 2025.jpg Marco Rubio * Secretary of State 4January 21, 2025IncumbentRepublican Trump II [28] [29]

Cabinet-level positions

The president may designate or remove additional officials as cabinet members. These positions have not always been in the cabinet, so some Hispanic and Latino American officeholders may not be listed.

The following list includes Hispanic and Latino Americans who have held cabinet-rank positions, which can vary under each president. They are not in the line of succession and are not necessarily officers of the United States. The table below is organized based on the beginning of their terms in office while it raised to cabinet-level status. Officeholders whose terms begin the same day are listed alphabetically by last name.

 *  denotes the first Hispanic and Latino American holder of that particular office
No.PortraitNameOfficeTerm startTerm endPartyAdministration(s)Ref.
1 RichardsonAmb.jpg Bill Richardson * United States Ambassador to the United Nations February 18, 1997August 18, 1998 Democratic Clinton [16]
2 Aida Alvarez in 1999 (11B).jpg Aida Álvarez * Administrator of the Small Business Administration March 7, 1997January 19, 2001 [30]
3 Maria Contreras-Sweet official portrait.jpg Maria Contreras-Sweet Administrator of the Small Business AdministrationApril 7, 2014January 20, 2017 Obama [31]
4 Administrator Jovita Carranza portrait.jpg Jovita Carranza Administrator of the Small Business AdministrationJanuary 14, 2020January 20, 2021 Republican Trump [32]
5 Isabella Casillas Guzman, SBA Administrator.png Isabel Guzman Administrator of the Small Business AdministrationMarch 17, 2021January 20, 2025Democratic Biden [33]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ineligible to serve in the line of succession due to being a naturalized citizen and not a natural-born citizen. [6] [7]

Related Research Articles

The Cabinet of the United States is the principal official advisory body to the president of the United States. The Cabinet generally meets with the president in a room adjacent to the Oval Office in the West Wing of the White House. The president chairs the meetings but is not formally a member of the Cabinet. The vice president of the United States serves in the Cabinet by statute. The heads of departments, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, are members of the Cabinet, and acting department heads also participate in Cabinet meetings whether or not they have been officially nominated for Senate confirmation. Members of the Cabinet are political appointees and administratively operate their departments. As appointed officers heading federal agencies, these Cabinet Secretaries are bureaucrats with full administrative control over their respective departments. The president may designate heads of other agencies and non-Senate-confirmed members of the Executive Office of the President as members of the Cabinet.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Secretary of Commerce</span> Head of the U.S. Department of Commerce

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet of Barack Obama</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">First cabinet of Donald Trump</span> Members of President Donald Trumps First Cabinet

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References

  1. ↑ "The Hispanic Population: 2010" (PDF). United States Census Bureau . Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Transcript of Civil Rights Act (1964)" . Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  3. 1 2 McFadden, Robert D. (March 16, 2022). "Lauro Cavazos, First Hispanic Cabinet Member, Dies at 95". The New York Times . Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Energy Secretary Pena quits to be with family". Tampa Bay Times . April 7, 1998. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Lytle, Tamara (December 10, 2003). "MARTINEZ WILL HEAD BACK TO ORLANDO". Orlando Sentinel . Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Code: Title 3, 19. Vacancy In Offices of Both President and Vice President; Officers Eligible to Act". Cornell Law School . Retrieved November 16, 2008.
  7. ↑ "The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription". National Archives and Records Administration . Retrieved November 16, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Former Secretaries". usda.gov. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  9. ↑ "Secretaries of Defense". history.defense.gov. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  10. ↑ "Former Secretaries of State". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  11. ↑ "History of the Treasury: Secretaries of the Treasury". United States Department of the Treasury . Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  12. ↑ "History - Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)". va.gov. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  13. ↑ Feerick, John. "Essays on Amendment XXV: Presidential Succession". The Heritage Guide to the Constitution. The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  14. ↑ Montague, Zach (April 26, 2019). "Manuel Luján Jr., Ex-Congressman and Interior Secretary, Dies at 90". The New York Times . Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  15. ↑ Holmes, Steven A. (November 22, 1996). "Housing Secretary Resigns, Citing Finances". The New York Times . Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  16. 1 2 "Senate confirms pair of Cabinet nominations before recess". Tampa Bay Times . August 1, 1998. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Senate confirms Gonzales for attorney general". NBC News . Associated Press. February 1, 2005. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2005.
  18. ↑ "Gutierrez approved to head Commerce Dept". NBC News . Associated Press. January 24, 2005. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2005.
  19. ↑ Caldwell, Leigh Ann (January 16, 2013). "Salazar stepping down as interior secretary". CBS News . Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  20. ↑ Hughes, Darrell A. (February 24, 2009). "Solis Confirmed as Labor Secretary". The Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
  21. ↑ Younglai, Rachelle (July 18, 2013). "Senate approves Perez as new labor secretary". Reuters . Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  22. ↑ Itkowitz, Colby (July 9, 2014). "Julian Castro easily confirmed for HUD job today". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on July 9, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  23. ↑ Resmovits, Joy (March 15, 2016). "Three things to know about new-ish U.S. Education Secretary John King Jr". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  24. ↑ Salam, Maya (April 27, 2017). "Senate Confirms R. Alexander Acosta as Labor Secretary". The New York Times . Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  25. ↑ Macias, Amanda (February 2, 2021). "Senate confirms Alejandro Mayorkas as America's first Latino Homeland Security chief". CNBC . Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  26. ↑ Tatum, Sophie (March 2, 2021). "Miguel Cardona confirmed by the Senate as education secretary". ABC News. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  27. ↑ Ollstein, Alice Miranda (March 18, 2021). "Senate narrowly confirms Becerra as health secretary". Politico . Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  28. ↑ Knight, Stef W.; Neukam, Stephen (2025-01-20). "Senate confirms Marco Rubio to lead Trump's State Department". Axios . Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  29. ↑ Hubbard, Kala (January 20, 2025). "Senate confirms Marco Rubio as secretary of state in first Trump Cabinet post approval". cbsnews.com. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  30. ↑ Ho, Rodney (February 14, 1997). "New SBA Chief Alvarez Vows To Improve Portfolio Oversight". The Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  31. ↑ Pizzanghera, Jim (March 27, 2014). "Maria Contreras-Sweet confirmed as SBA chief". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  32. ↑ Jagoda, Naomi (January 7, 2020). "Senate confirms Trump pick for small business chief". The Hill . Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  33. ↑ Rummler, Orion (March 16, 2021). "Senate confirms Isabel Guzman to lead Small Business Administration". Axios . Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
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