The United States Navy

Past Secretaries of the Navy
Secretaries of the Navy 1798 - 1825 Secretaries of the Navy 1900 - 1925
Secretaries of the Navy 1825 - 1850 Secretaries of the Navy 1925 - 1950
Secretaries of the Navy 1850 - 1875 Secretaries of the Navy 1950 - 1975
Secretaries of the Navy 1875 - 1900 Secretaries of the Navy 1975 to the present

NOTE: If date in office spans two tables, the entry will be in the table of which office was started.


1798 - 1825

Office Year Name Birthdate
June 18, 1798 -
March 31, 1801
Benjamin Stoddert 1751
July 27, 1801-
March 7, 1809
Robert Smith November 1757
May 15, 1809 -
December 31, 1812
Paul Hamilton October 16, 1762
January 19, 1813 -
January 12, 1814
William Jones 1760
January 16, 1815 -
September 30, 1818
Benjamin W. Crowninshield December 27, 1772
January 1, 1819 -
August 31, 1823
Smith Thompson January 17, 1768
September 16, 1823 -
March 3, 1829
Samuel Southard June 9, 1787

(1825) (1850) (1875) (1900) (1925) (1950) (1975) Return to top of page


1825 - 1850

Office Year Name Birthdate
March 9, 1829 -
May 12, 1831
John Branch November 4, 1782
May 23, 1831 -
June 30, 1834
Levi Woodbury December 22, 1789
July 1, 1834 -
June 30, 1838
Mahlon Dickerson April 17, 1770
July 1, 1838 -
March 3, 1841
James K. Paulding August 27, 1778
March 6, 1841 -
September 11,1841
George E. Badger April 13, 1795
October 11, 1841 -
July 23, 1843
Abel P. Upshur June 17, 1790
July 24, 1843 -
February 18, 1844
David Henshaw April 2, 1791
February 19, 1844 -
February 28, 1844
Thomas W. Gilmer April 6, 1802
March 26, 1844 -
March 10, 1845
John Y. Mason April 18, 1799
March 11, 1845 -
September 9, 1846
George Bancroft October 3, 1800
September 10, 1846 -
March 7, 1849
John Y. Mason April 18, 1799
March 8, 1849 -
July 22, 1850
William B. Preston November 25, 1805

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1850 - 1875

Office Year Name Birthdate (if known)
August 2, 1850 -
July 25, 1852
William A. Graham September 5, 1804
July 26, 1852 -
March 7, 1853
John P. Kennedy October 25, 1795
March 8, 1853 -
March 6, 1857
James C. Dobbin 1804
March 7, 1857 -
March 6, 1861
Isaac Toucey November 5, 1796
March 7, 1861 -
March 3, 1869
Gideon Welles July 1, 1802
March 9, 1869 -
June 25, 1869
Adolph E. Borie November 25, 1809
June 26, 1869 -
March 12, 1877
George M. Robeson 1829

(1800) (1825) (1875) (1900) (1925) (1950) (1975) Return to top of page


1875 - 1900

Office Year Name Birthdate
March 13, 1877 -
December 20, 1880
Richard W. Thompson June 12, 1823
January 7, 1881 -
March 6, 1881
Nathan Goff, Jr. October 9, 1843
March 7, 1881 -
April 16, 1882
William H. Hunt June 12, 1823
April 16, 1882 -
March 6, 1885
William E. Chandler Dec 28, 1835
March 7, 1885 -
March 5, 1889
William C. Whitney July 5, 1841
March 6, 1889 -
March 6, 1893
Benjamin F. Tracy April 26, 1830
March 7, 1893 -
March 6, 1897
Hilary A. Herbert March 12, 1834
March 6, 1897 -
April 30, 1902
John D. Long October 27, 1838

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1900 - 1925

Office Year Name Birthdate
May 1, 1902 -
June 30, 1904
William H. Moody December 23, 1853
July 1, 1904 -
June 30, 1905
Paul Morton 1857
July 1, 1905 -
December 16, 1906
Charles J. Bonaparte June 9, 1851
December 17, 1906 -
November 30, 1908
Victor H. Metcalf October 10, 1853
December 1, 1908 -
March 5, 1909
Truman H. Newberry November 5, 1864
March 6, 1909 -
March 4, 1913
George von L. Meyer January 24, 1858
March 5, 1913 -
March 5, 1921
Josephus Daniels May 18, 1862
March 6, 1921 -
March 10, 1924
Edwin Denby February 18, 1870

(1800) (1825) (1850) (1875) (1925) (1950) (1975) Return to top of page


1925 - 1950

Office Year Name Birthdate
March 19, 1924 -
March 4, 1929
Curtis D. Wilbur May 10, 1867
March 5, 1929 -
March 4, 1933
Charles F. Adams August 2, 1866
March 4, 1933 -
July 7, 1939
Claude A. Swanson March 31, 1862
January 2, 1940 -
June 24, 1940
Charles Edison August 3, 1890
July 11, 1940 -
April 28, 1944
Frank Knox January 1, 1874
May 19, 1944 -
September 17, 1947
James Forrestal February 15, 1892
September 18, 1947 -
May 24, 1949
John L. Sullivan June 16, 1899
May 25, 1949 -
July 31, 1951
Francis P. Matthews March 15, 1892

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1950 - 1975

Office Year Name Birthdate
July 31, 1951 -
January 20, 1953
Dan A. Kimball March 1, 1896
February 4, 1953 -
May 3, 1954
Robert B. Anderson June 4, 1910
May 3, 1954 -
April 1, 1957
Charles S. Thomas September 28, 1897
April 1, 1957 -
June 8, 1959
Thomas S. Gates April 10, 1906
June 8, 1959 -
January 19, 1961
William B. Franke April 15, 1894
January 25, 1961 -
December 20, 1961
John B. Connally, Jr. February 27, 1917
January 4, 1962 -
November 1, 1963
Fred Korth September 9, 1909
November 2, 1963 -
November 28, 1963
Paul B. Fay (acting) July 8, 1918
November 29, 1963 -
June 30, 1967
Paul H. Nitze January 16, 1907
July 1, 1967 -
August 31, 1967
Charles F. Baird (acting) September 4, 1922
September 1, 1967 -
January 24, 1969
Paul R. Ignatius November 11, 1920
January 31, 1969 -
May 4, 1972
John H. Chafee October 22, 1922
May 4, 1972 -
April 8, 1974
John H. Warner February 18, 1927
April 8, 1974 -
January 20, 1977
J. William Middendorf September 22, 1924

(1800) (1825) (1850) (1875) (1900) (1925) (1975) Return to top of page


1975 to Present

Office Year Name Birthdate
February 14, 1977 -
August 24, 1979
W. Graham Claytor, Jr. March 14, 1912
October 24, 1979 -
January 20, 1981
Edward Hidalgo October 12, 1912
February 5, 1981 -
April 10, 1987
John Lehman September 14, 1942
May 1, 1987 -
February 23, 1988
James H. Webb February 9, 1946
March 28, 1988 -
May 15, 1989
William L. Ball June 10, 1948
May 15, 1989 -
June 26, 1992
Henry L. Garrett III June 24, 1939
June 26, 1992 -
July 7, 1992
Daniel Howard (acting)
Oct 2, 1992 -
January 20, 1993
Sean O'Keefe January 27, 1956
January 2, 1993 -
July 21, 1993
Adm Frank B. Kelso II (acting)
July 22, 1993 -
November 16, 1998
John H. Dalton December 13, 1941
November 16, 1998 -
January 20, 2001
Richard Danzig 1944
January 20, 2001 -
May 24, 2001
Robert B. Pirie, Jr. (Acting) September 10, 1933
May 24, 2001 -
January 24, 2003
Gordon R. England September 15, 1937
January 24, 2003 -
February 7, 2003
Susan Morissey Livington (Acting)
February 7, 2003 -
October 1, 2003
Hanford T. Johnson (Acting)
October 1, 2003 -
Present
Gordon R. England September 15, 1937

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