List of United States Cabinet members who have served more than eight years

Last updated

This is a list of United States Cabinet members who have served for more than two presidential terms.

Contents

More than eight years in a single cabinet office

SecretaryDepartmentYears of serviceLength of servicePresidenciesnotes
James Wilson(U.S. politician)-seated.jpg James Wilson Agriculture1897–191315 years, 364 daysMcKinley, T. Roosevelt, Taft [1]
Ickes.gif Harold Ickes Interior1933–194612 years, 346 daysF. Roosevelt, Truman [2]
AlbertGallatin.jpeg Albert Gallatin Treasury1801–181412 years, 270 daysJefferson, Madison [3]
Frances Perkins cph.3a04983.jpg Frances Perkins Labor1933–194512 years, 116 daysF. Roosevelt, Truman [4]
Hull-Cordell-LOC.jpg Cordell Hull State1933–194411 years, 271 daysF. Roosevelt [5]
Henry Morgenthau, Jr. (1944).jpg Henry Morgenthau Treasury1934–194511 years, 202 daysF. Roosevelt, Truman [6]
20210427-OSEC-TEW-001 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (51148817903).jpg Tom Vilsack Agriculture2009–2017
2021–present
First tenure: 7 years, 359 days
Second tenure: 3 years, 206 days
Total tenure: 11 years, 199 days
Obama, Biden [7]
Attorney General William Wirt.jpg William Wirt Justice1817–182911 years, 112 daysMonroe, J.Q. Adams [8]
AWMellon.jpg Andrew Mellon Treasury1921–193211 years, 8 daysHarding, Coolidge, Hoover [9]
Jjdavis.jpg James Davis Labor1921–19309 years, 269 daysHarding, Coolidge, Hoover [10]
WilliamHCrawford.jpg William H. Crawford Treasury1816–18258 years, 135 daysMadison, Monroe, J.Q. Adams [11]

More than eight years over multiple cabinet offices

SecretaryOfficeBegan serviceEnded serviceLength of servicePresidencies
Elaine Chao official portrait 2.jpg Elaine Chao Secretary of LaborJanuary 29, 2001January 20, 200911 years, 341 days George W. Bush
Secretary of TransportationJanuary 31, 2017January 11, 2021 Donald Trump
Henry L. Stimson Henry Stimson, Harris & Ewing bw photo portrait, 1929.jpg
Henry L. Stimson
Henry L. Stimson [12]
Secretary of WarMay 22, 1911March 4, 191310 years, 342 days William Howard Taft
July 10, 1940September 21, 1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman
Secretary of StateMarch 28, 1929March 4, 1933 Herbert Hoover
George Pratt Shultz (headshot).jpg
George Shultz [13]
Secretary of LaborJanuary 22, 1969July 1, 19709 years, 318 daysRichard Nixon
Secretary of the TreasuryJune 12, 1972May 8, 1974
Secretary of StateJuly 16, 1982January 20, 1989Ronald Reagan
Levi Woodbury.jpg
Levi Woodbury
Secretary of the Navy [lower-alpha 1] May 23, 1831June 30, 18349 years, 289 days Andrew Jackson
Secretary of the TreasuryJuly 1, 1834March 4, 1841Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren
Robert Smith SecNavy.jpg
Robert Smith
Secretary of the Navy [lower-alpha 1] July 27, 1801March 4, 18099 years, 249 days Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of StateMarch 6, 1809April 1, 1811James Madison
WilliamHCrawford.jpg William H. Crawford Secretary of WarAugust 1, 1815October 22, 18169 years, 220 days James Madison
Secretary of the TreasuryOctober 22, 1816March 6, 1825James Madison, James Monroe, and John Quincy Adams
Caspar Weinberger official photo.jpg
Caspar Weinberger [14]
Secretary of Health & Human ServicesFebruary 12, 1973August 8, 19759 years, 121 days Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford
Secretary of DefenseJanuary 21, 1981November 23, 1987 Ronald Reagan
Henry-A.-Wallace-Townsend(cropped).jpg
Henry A. Wallace [15]
Secretary of AgricultureMarch 4, 1933September 4, 19409 years, 25 daysFranklin D. Roosevelt
Secretary of CommerceMarch 2, 1945September 20, 1946Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman
Lewis Cass cabinet photograph (cropped).jpeg Lewis Cass Secretary of WarAugust 1, 1831October 4, 18368 years, 352 days Andrew Jackson
Secretary of StateMarch 6, 1857December 14, 1860 James Buchanan
John C Calhoun by Mathew Brady, 1849.jpg John C. Calhoun Secretary of WarDecember 8, 1817March 4, 18258 years, 66 daysJames Monroe
Secretary of StateApril 1, 1844March 10, 1845 John Tyler and
James K. Polk
Elihu Root, bw photo portrait, 1902 (cropped).jpg
Elihu Root
Secretary of WarAugust 1, 1899January 31, 19048 years, 13 days William McKinley and

Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of StateJuly 19, 1905January 27, 1909Theodore Roosevelt

Near misses and technicalities

Several individuals have come close to this distinction; only having have missed it by months, weeks, or days. Listed below are the names of individuals who came within a year of the achievement.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Secretary of the Navy was a cabinet-level post until 1947, when the position was put under the Secretary of Defense.

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References

  1. "Former Secretaries - USDA". www.usda.gov.
  2. "Past Secretaries". www.doi.gov. 1 July 2015.
  3. "Albert Gallatin (1801 - 1814)". www.treasury.gov.
  4. "Hall of Secretaries: Francis Perkins - U.S. Department of Labor". www.dol.gov.
  5. "Cordell Hull - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov.
  6. "Henry Morgenthau, Jr. (1934 - 1945)". www.treasury.gov.
  7. "Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack". www.usda.gov.
  8. "Attorney General: William Wirt". www.justice.gov. 23 October 2014.
  9. "Andrew W. Mellon (1921 - 1932)". www.treasury.gov.
  10. "Hall of Secretaries: James J. Davis - U.S. Department of Labor". www.dol.gov.
  11. "William H. Crawford (1816 - 1825)". www.treasury.gov.
  12. "Henry Stimson - Nuclear Museum". ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  13. "George Pratt Shultz - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  14. "Caspar W. Weinberger". history.defense.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  15. "Henry A. Wallace – The Wallace Centers of Iowa" . Retrieved 2023-03-18.