United States Secretary of Energy

United States Secretary of Energy
Official Seal
Incumbent: Samuel Bodman since: February 1, 2005
First	James R. Schlesinger
Formation	August 6, 1977
Presidential succession	Fifteenth
Website	www.doe.gov

The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the President's Cabinet, and fifteenth in the Presidential line of succession. The post was created with the formation of the Department of Energy on October 1, 1977, by President Jimmy Carter's signing of the Department of Energy Organization Act.^[1] The position was originally developed to focus on energy production and regulation. During the 1980s, the emphasis shifted to development of technology for better, more efficient energy sources as well as education regarding energy. As the Cold War ended, the department's efforts were more often devoted to nuclear waste disposal and maintenance of environmental quality.^[2]

The first Secretary of Energy was former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger, a Republican nominated to the post by Democratic President Jimmy Carter, the only time a president has appointed someone of another party to the post. Schlesinger was also the only secretary to be dismissed from the post.^[3] Bill Clinton's first Secretary of Energy, Hazel R. O'Leary, was the longest to hold the position, as well as its first female and African-American holder.^[4] Clinton also named Federico Peña to the post, the first Hispanic to hold the position.^[5] Bill Richardson, who succeeded Peña, was the second Hispanic to hold the position and later became Governor of New Mexico.^[6] The current secretary, Samuel W. Bodman, has held the post since February 1, 2005.

List of Secretaries of Energy

#	Name	Portrait	Took Office	Left Office	President served under
1	James R. Schlesinger		August 6, 1977	August 23, 1979	Jimmy Carter
2	Charles W. Duncan, Jr.		August 24, 1979	January 20, 1981
3	James B. Edwards		January 23, 1981	November 5, 1982	Ronald Reagan
4	Donald Paul Hodel		November 5, 1982	February 7, 1985
5	John S. Herrington		February 7, 1985	January 20, 1989
6	James D. Watkins		March 1, 1989	January 20, 1993	George H. W. Bush
7	Hazel R. O'Leary		January 22, 1993	January 20, 1997	Bill Clinton
8	Federico Peña		March 12, 1997	June 30, 1998
9	Bill Richardson		August 18, 1998	January 20, 2001
10	Spencer Abraham		January 20, 2001	February 1, 2005	George W. Bush
11	Samuel W. Bodman		February 1, 2005	Present

References

General

• "Official site of U.S. Department of Energy". U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
• "Secretaries of Energy". U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.

Specific

Agencies under the United States Department of Energy Secretary of Energy Deputy Secretary of Energy Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence · Energy Information Administration · Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Under Secretary of Energy for Energy and Environment Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management · Office of Electricity Deliverability & Energy Reliability · Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy · Office of Environmental Management · Office of Fossil Energy · Office of Legacy Management · Office of Nuclear Energy, Science & Technology Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security National Nuclear Security Administration Under Secretary of Energy for Science Office of Science Power Marketing Administration Bonneville Power Administration · Southeastern Power Administration · Southwestern Power Administration · Western Area Power Administration National Laboratory System Albany · Ames · Argonne · Berkeley · Brookhaven · EMSL · Fermilab · Idaho · Livermore · Los Alamos · NBL · NETL · NREL · NTS · Oak Ridge · Pacific Northwest · PPPL · RESL · Sandia · SLAC · SNS · TJNAF