United States Secretary of Education
position
The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet, and 16th in line of United States presidential line of succession. The United States Secretary of Education deals with Education.
| United States Secretary of Education | |
|---|---|
 Official Seal | |
| Formation | November 30, 1979 |
| First holder | Shirley Hufstedler |
| Succession | Sixteenth |
| Website | www.ed.gov |
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter established the Department of Education as a cabinet-level agency. Previously, Education had been handled by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, henceforth known as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The current acting Secretary of Education is Betsy DeVos.
Chronological listEdit
| No. | Name | Term of Office | President(s) served under |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shirley Hufstedler | November 30, 1979 - January 20, 1981 | Jimmy Carter |
| 2 | Terrel Bell | January 22, 1981 - January 20, 1985 | Ronald Reagan |
| 3 | William J. Bennett | February 6, 1985 - 1988 | Ronald Reagan |
| 4 | Lauro Cavazos | September 20, 1988 - December 12, 1990 | Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush |
| 5 | Lamar Alexander | March 22, 1991 - January 20, 1993 | George H. W. Bush |
| 6 | Richard Riley | January 21, 1993 - January 20, 2001 | Bill Clinton |
| 7 | Roderick Paige | January 20, 2001 - January 20, 2005 | George W. Bush |
| 8 | Margaret Spellings | January 20, 2005 - January 20, 2009 | George W. Bush |
| 9 | Arne Duncan | January 20, 2009 - December 31, 2015 | Barack Obama |
| 10 | John King, Jr. | March 14, 2016 - January 20, 2017 | Barack Obama |
| 11 | Betsy DeVos | February 7, 2017 - present | Donald Trump |