United States Secretary of Energy

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The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy and is a member of the President's Cabinet, fifteenth in the Presidential line of succession. The post was created with the formation of the Department of Energy on October 1, 1977, after the signing of the Department of Energy Organization Act by President Jimmy Carter.^[1] The position was originally developed to be concerned with 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 secretary's tasks evolved more into 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 his 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.^[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 is Samuel W. Bodman, having held the post since February 1, 2005.

[edit] List of Secretaries of Energy

The first Secretary of Energy, James Schlesinger

Hazel O'Leary, the first woman and African-American to hold the position

Federico Peña, the first Hispanic Secretary of Energy

Spencer Abraham, Secretary from 2001 to 2005

Current Secretary, Samuel W. Bodman

#	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	Jimmy Carter
3	James B. Edwards		January 23, 1981	November 5, 1982	Ronald Reagan
4	Donald Paul Hodel		November 5, 1982	February 7, 1985	Ronald Reagan
5	John S. Herrington		February 7, 1985	January 20, 1989	Ronald Reagan
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	Bill Clinton
9	Bill Richardson		August 18, 1998	January 20, 2001	Bill Clinton
10	Spencer Abraham		January 20, 2001	February 1, 2005	George W. Bush
11	Samuel W. Bodman		February 1, 2005	Present	George W. Bush

[edit] 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

v • d • e 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 · Fermilab · Idaho · Livermore · Los Alamos · NBL · NETL · NREL · NTS · Oak Ridge · Pacific Northwest · PPPL · RESL · Sandia · SLAC · SNS · TJNAF