White House Chief of Staff
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President and can be a very powerful position. The Chief of Staff is sometimes dubbed "The Second-Most Powerful Man in Washington".
Joshua B. Bolten has served as White House Chief of Staff since April 14, 2006.
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[edit] Duties and history
The duties of the White House Chief of Staff vary greatly from one administration to another. However, he or she is responsible for overseeing the actions of the White House staff, managing the President's schedule, and deciding who is allowed to meet with the President. Because of this duty, the Chief of Staff has been dubbed the "the gatekeeper" and the "co-President".
Originally, the duties now performed by the of Chief of Staff belonged to the secretary to the President [1]. In 1946, in response to the rapid growth of the government's executive branch, the position of Assistant to the President of the United States was established and charged with the affairs of the White House. In 1961, the president's preeminent assistant was designated White House Chief of Staff. "Assistant to the President" became a rank generally shared by the Chief of Staff with such senior aides as Deputy Chiefs of Staff, the White House Counsel, the Press Secretary, among others.
Not every President has had a formal Chief of Staff. John F. Kennedy never hired one. Due to the stressful and demanding nature of the job, the average term of service for a White House Chief of Staff is a little under two and a half years. John R. Steelman, under Harry S. Truman, was the last to serve as Chief of Staff throughout the entire duration of a President's administration. Steelman also holds the record for longest service at six years. Andrew Card and Sherman Adams tie for second at five years each.
Most White House Chiefs of Staff are former politicians, and many continue their political careers in other senior roles. Examples include Richard Nixon's Chief of Staff Alexander Haig who later became United States Secretary of State, and Gerald Ford's Chiefs of Staff Dick Cheney, now Vice President of the United States, and Donald Rumsfeld, the former United States Secretary of Defense.
Some have suggested that a powerful Chief of Staff dealing with a "hands-off" president who decides not to become involved in the minutiæ of government, can become a quasi-prime minister. Such prime ministers exist in some presidential systems, such as in France and Russia, with the prime minister running the government and the president remaining somewhat aloof from the political process but setting broad policy goals. James Baker and Donald Regan were seen as prime ministerial-style chiefs of staff during the Reagan presidency. Howard Baker, who succeeded Regan, was critical of this system and what is sometimes called the Imperial Presidency.
By contrast, Andrew Card, President George W. Bush's first Chief of Staff, was not regarded as a very powerful figure. Some say that this is because Card was overshadowed by Senior Adviser and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove [2]; others suggest that the Chief of Staff's authority is limited by Bush's practice of dealing directly with his Cabinet secretaries[citation needed]. Similarly, President Bill Clinton's Chiefs of Staff were not particularly powerful, in part because Clinton's personality kept him in touch with his Cabinet.
[edit] Fictional portrayal
- Actor John Spencer filled this position for over 5 seasons as Democrat Leo McGarry on the NBC drama The West Wing. Television critics and political analysts alike have praised his performance as an accurate portrayal of the challenging position. He was replaced in season six by Press Secretary C.J. Cregg, played by Allison Janney. In real life no woman has ever been Chief of Staff. In the final episode, upon the inauguration of President Matt Santos, Josh Lyman (played by Bradley Whitford) became White House Chief of Staff. Lyman had served as Deputy Chief of Staff to McGarry during the first five seasons.
- 24 has portrayed four White House Chiefs of Staff:
- Jude Ciccolella as Mike Novick, assisting President David Palmer and later President Charles Logan.
- D.B. Woodside as Wayne Palmer, also assisting President David Palmer (his brother).
- John Allen Nelson as Walt Cummings, also assisting President Charles Logan.
- Peter MacNicol as Thomas Lennox, assisting the aforementioned Wayne Palmer after his election to the Presidency.
- Actor Harry Joseph Lennix III played Chief of Staff Jim Gardner on the television show Commander in Chief. Interesting to note is that the character starts out as the White House Chief of Staff to Republican President Teddy Bridges and continues to serve under his successor, independent President Mackenzie Allen.
- Actor Martin Sheen played Chief of Staff A.J. MacInerney in the 1995 film The American President before portraying President Josiah Bartlet in The West Wing.
- Actor Frank Langella played Chief of Staff Bob Alexander in the 1993 film Dave.
- The 2001-2006 books by Joel C. Rosenberg portray main character Brad Benton as the White House Chief of Staff.
[edit] Deputy
The Chief of Staff is assisted by one or more Deputy White House Chiefs of Staff.
Joel Kaplan, Joe Hagin, and Karl Rove currently have this title. Hagin is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Mr. Kaplan for Policy. Karl Rove held the policy position until April 19, 2006 when White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten added his former Deputy Director of OMB to the Deputies list.
[edit] List of White House Chiefs of Staff
| Chief | President | Years |
|---|---|---|
| John R. Steelman | Harry Truman | 1946–1952 |
| Sherman Adams | Dwight Eisenhower | 1953–1958 |
| Wilton Persons | 1958–1961 | |
| vacant | John F. Kennedy | 1961–1963 |
| W. Marvin Watson | Lyndon Johnson | 1963–1968 |
| H. R. Haldeman | Richard Nixon | 1969–1973 |
| Alexander Haig | 1973–1974 | |
| Donald Rumsfeld | Gerald Ford | 1974–1975 |
| Dick Cheney | 1975–1977 | |
| vacant | Jimmy Carter | 1977–1979 |
| Hamilton Jordan | 1979–1980 | |
| Jack Watson | 1980–1981 | |
| James Baker | Ronald Reagan | 1981–1985 |
| Donald Regan | 1985–1987 | |
| Howard Baker | 1987–1988 | |
| Kenneth Duberstein | 1988–1989 | |
| John H. Sununu | George H. W. Bush | 1989–1991 |
| Samuel K. Skinner | 1991–1992 | |
| James Baker | 1992–1993 | |
| Mack McLarty | Bill Clinton | 1993–1994 |
| Leon Panetta | 1994–1997 | |
| Erskine Bowles | 1997–1998 | |
| John Podesta | 1998–2001 | |
| Andrew Card | George W. Bush | 2001–2006 |
| Joshua B. Bolten | 2006– |
| White House Chiefs of Staff |  |
|---|---|
| Steelman • Adams • Persons • Haldeman • Haig • Rumsfeld • Cheney • Jordan • Watson • J Baker • Regan • H Baker • Duberstein • Sununu • Skinner • J Baker • McLarty • Panetta • Bowles • Podesta • Card • Bolten |
White House Chief of Staff
Deputy White House Chief of Staff • White House Press Secretary • White House Counsel • White House Office of Presidential Communications • White House Office of Presidential Speechwriting • White House Office • White House Office of the Executive Clerk • Office of Management and Budget • National Security Council • Homeland Security Council • Office of the United States Trade Representative • Office of National Drug Control Policy • Council of Economic Advisers • Council on Environmental Quality • Domestic Policy Council • National Economic Council • Office of Administration • Office of Advance • Office of Scheduling • White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives • United States Office of National AIDS Policy • Office of Science and Technology Policy • President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board • President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board • USA Freedom Corps • White House Military Office
