The secretary of state was responsible for the administration of both the naval (the "marine royale") and civil (the merchant marine), and all France's ports, arsenals, consulates, colonies and guardianship over all her commercial companies.
To his two original offices (the bureau du Ponant and bureau du Levant) were added other services over time:
These different offices and departments were regrouped into four super-departments by marshal de Castries in 1786.
| Secretary |
Began |
Ended |
| Cosme Clausse, seigneur de Marchaumont |
14 September 1547 |
1558 |
| Florimond II Robertet de Fresne |
1558 |
October 1567 |
| Claude de l’Aubespine, seigneur d’Hauterive |
1 April 1547 |
1567 |
| Jacques Bourdin, seigneur de Villeines |
1558 |
1567 |
| Martin Ruze, seigneur de Beaulieu |
15 September 1588 |
6 November 1613 |
| Antoine de Loménie, seigneur de la Ville aux Clercs |
7 November 1613 |
10 August 1615 (he left the post on this date, but retained the precedence and the functions) |
| Henri Auguste de Loménie, seigneur de la Ville aux Clercs |
13 July 1615 |
February 1643 |
| Henry de Guénegaud, marquis de Plancy |
23 March 1643 |
1662 |
| Hugues de Lionne, marquis de Fresne |
4 February 1662 |
1669 |
| Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Marquis de Seignelay |
September 1683 |
3 November 1690 |
| Louis Phélypeaux, comte de Pontchartrain |
November 1683 |
? |
| Jérôme Phélypeaux, comte de Pontchartrain |
6 September 1699 |
1 October 1715 |
| Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse and Victor Marie d'Estrées (Presidents of the Council of Marine) |
1 October 1715 |
24 September 1718 |
| Joseph Jean Baptiste Fleuriau d'Armenonville |
24 September 1718 |
28 February 1722 |
| Charles Jean-Baptiste Fleuriau, comte de Morville |
28 February 1722 |
16 August 1723 |
| Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, comte de Maurepas |
16 August 1723 |
23 April 1749 |
| Antoine Louis Rouillé |
30 April 1749 |
24 July 1754 |
| Jean-Baptiste de Machault d'Arnovuille |
24 July 1754 |
1 February 1757 |
| François Marie Peyrenc de Moras |
1 February 1757 |
31 May 1758 |
| Claude Louis d'Espinchal, marquis de Massiac |
31 May 1758 |
31 October 1758 |
| Nicolas René Berryer |
31 October 1758 |
13 October 1761 |
| Étienne François, duc de Choiseul |
13 October 1761 |
10 April 1766 |
| César Gabriel de Choiseul-Chevigny, duc de Praslin |
10 April 1766 |
24 December 1770 |
| Joseph Marie Terray |
24 December 1770 |
9 April 1771 |
| Pierre Étienne Bourgeois de Boynes |
9 April 1771 |
20 July 1774 |
| Anne Robert Jacques Turgot |
20 July 1774 |
24 August 1774 |
| Antoine de Sartine |
24 August 1774 |
13 October 1780 |
| Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix, marquis de Castries |
13 October 1780 |
24 August 1787 |
| Armand Marc, comte de Montmorin Saint-Hérem |
25 August 1787 |
24 December 1787 |
| César Henri, comte de La Luzerne |
24 December 1787 |
13 July 1789 |
| Arnaud de Laporte |
13 July 1789 |
16 July 1789 |
| César Henri, comte de La Luzerne |
16 July 1789 |
26 October 1790 |
| Minister |
Began |
Ended |
| Charles Pierre Claret de Fleuriau |
26 October 1790 |
17 May 1791 |
| Antoine Jean Marie Thévenard |
17 May 1791 |
18 September 1791 |
| Claude Antoine Valdec de Lessart |
18 September 1791 |
7 October 1791 |
| Antoine François, comte Bertrand de Molleville |
7 October 1791 |
16 March 1792 |
| Jean de Lacoste |
16 March 1792 |
21 July 1792 |
| François Joseph de Gratet, vicomte Dubouchage |
21 July 1792 |
10 August 1792 |
| Gaspard Monge |
10 August 1792 |
10 April 1793 |
| Jean Dalbarade (commissioner from 20 April 1794) |
10 April 1793 |
2 July 1795 |
| Jean-Claude Redon de Beaupréau (commissioner) |
2 July 1795 |
4 November 1795 |
| Laurent Jean François Truguet |
4 November 1795 |
15 July 1797 |
| Georges René Le Peley de Pléville |
15 July 1797 |
27 April 1798 |
| Eustache Bruix |
27 April 1798 |
4 March 1799 |
| Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord |
7 March 1799 |
2 July 1799 |
| Marc Antoine Bourdon de Vatry |
2 July 1799 |
22 November 1799 |
| Pierre Alexandre Laurent Forfait |
22 November 1799 |
3 October 1801 |
| Denis Decrès |
3 October 1801 |
1 April 1814 |
| Pierre-Victor, baron Malouet |
3 April 1814 |
7 September 1814 |
| Jacques, comte Beugnot |
7 September 1814 |
20 March 1815 |
| Denis, duc Decrès |
20 March 1815 |
7 July 1815 |
| François Arnail, comte de Jaucourt |
9 July 1815 |
26 September 1815 |
| François Joseph de Gratet, vicomte Dubouchage |
26 September 1815 |
23 June 1817 |
| Laurent, Marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr |
23 June 1817 |
12 September 1817 |
| Mathieu Louis, comte Molé |
12 September 1817 |
29 December 1818 |
| Pierre Barthélemy, baron Portal |
29 December 1818 |
14 December 1821 |
| Aimé, duc de Clermont-Tonnerre |
14 December 1821 |
4 August 1824 |
| Christophe, comte de Chabrol de Crouzol |
4 August 1824 |
3 March 1828 |
| Jean-Guillaume, baron Hyde de Neuville |
3 March 1828 |
8 August 1829 |
| Henri Gauthier, comte de Rigny |
8 August 1829 |
23 August 1829 |
| Charles Lemercier de Longpré, baron d'Haussez |
23 August 1829 |
31 July 1830 |
| Henri Gauthier, comte de Rigny |
31 July 1830 |
11 August 1830 |
| Horace François Bastien, baron Sébastiani |
11 August 1830 |
17 November 1830 |
| Antoine, comte d'Argout |
17 November 1830 |
13 March 1831 |
| Henri Gauthier, comte de Rigny |
13 March 1831 |
4 April 1834 |
| Albin Reine, baron Roussin |
4 April 1834 |
19 May 1834 |
| Louis Léon, comte Jacob |
19 May 1834 |
10 November 1834 |
| Charles, baron Dupin |
10 November 1834 |
18 November 1834 |
| Victor Guy, baron Duperré |
18 November 1834 |
6 September 1836 |
| Claude Charles Marie du Campe de Rosamel |
6 September 1836 |
31 March 1839 |
| Jean Marguerite Tupinier |
31 March 1839 |
12 May 1839 |
| Victor Guy, baron Duperré |
12 May 1839 |
1 March 1840 |
| Albin Reine, baron Roussin |
1 March 1840 |
29 October 1840 |
| Victor Guy, baron Duperré |
29 October 1840 |
7 February 1843 |
| Albin Reine, baron Roussin |
7 February 1843 |
24 July 1843 |
| Ange René Armand, baron de Mackau |
24 July 1843 |
9 May 1847 |
| Napoléon Auguste Lannes, duc de Montebello |
9 May 1847 |
24 February 1848 |
| François Arago |
24 February 1848 |
11 May 1848 |
| Joseph Grégoire Cazy |
11 May 1848 |
28 June 1848 |
| Jules Bastide |
28 June 1848 |
17 July 1848 |
| Raymond Verninac de Saint-Maur |
17 July 1848 |
20 December 1848 |
| Alexandre César Victor Charles Destutt de Tracy |
20 December 1848 |
31 October 1849 |
| Joseph Romain-Desfossés |
31 October 1849 |
9 January 1851 |
| Théodore Ducos |
9 January 1851 |
24 January 1851 |
| Auguste Nicolas Vaillant |
24 January 1851 |
10 April 1851 |
| Justin de Chasseloup-Laubat |
10 April 1851 |
26 October 1851 |
| Hippolyte Fortoul |
26 October 1851 |
3 December 1851 |
| Théodore Ducos |
3 December 1851 |
17 April 1855 |
| Ferdinand Hamelin |
19 April 1855 |
24 November 1860 |
| Justin de Chasseloup-Laubat |
24 November 1860 |
20 January 1867 |
| Charles Rigault de Genouilly |
20 January 1867 |
4 September 1870 |
| Maurice Fourichon |
| Louis Marie Alexis Pothuau |
| Charles Dompierre d'Hormoy |
| Louis Raymond de Montaignac de Chauvance |
| Martin Fourichon |
| Albert Gicquel des Touches |
| Albert Roussin |
| Louis Marie Alexis Pothuau |
| Jean Bernard Jauréguiberry |
| Georges Charles Cloué |
| Auguste Gougeard (Marine only) |
| Jean Bernard Jauréguiberry |
| François de Mahy |
| Charles Brun |
| Alexandre Louis François Peyron |
| Charles Eugène Galiber |
| Théophile Aube |
| Édouard Barbey |
| François de Mahy |
| Jules François Émile Krantz |
| Benjamin Jaurès |
| Jules François Émile Krantz (Marine only) |
| Édouard Barbey (Marine only) |
| Godefroy Cavaignac (Marine only to 8 March 1892) |
| Auguste Burdeau |
