United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
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| United States Secretary of Health and Human Services |
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 Official Seal |
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 Incumbent: Kathleen Sebelius since: April 28, 2009 |
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| First | Patricia Roberts Harris |
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| Formation | August 3, 1979 |
| Presidential succession |
Twelfth |
| Website | http://www.hhs.gov/ |
The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, concerned with health matters. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet. The office was formerly Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.
In 1979, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was renamed the Department of Health and Human Services, and its education functions transferred to the new Department of Education. Patricia Roberts Harris headed the department before and after it was renamed.
The duties of the secretary revolve around human conditions and concerns in the United States. This includes advising the President on matters of health, welfare, and income security programs. It strives to administer the department of Health and Human Services to carry out approved programs and make the public aware of the objectives of the department.[1]
Nominations to the office of Secretary of HHS are referred to the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicare and Medicaid, before confirmation is considered by the full United States Senate.
After the attacks of 9/11 and the subsequent anthrax attacks, the position has held a unique significance in the War on Terrorism. Upon his departure, then-Secretary Tommy Thompson remarked "I, for the life of me, cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply, because it is so easy to do..." Scholars concur, arguing that an attack on food (particularly milk) could affect approximately 100,000 people.[2]
Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius was sworn in as Secretary of Health and Human Services by the United States Senate on April 29, 2009.[3]
Contents |
[edit] List of secretaries
[edit] Secretaries of Health, Education, and Welfare
| No. | Name | Portrait | Took Office | Left Office | President served under | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oveta Culp Hobby |  |
April 11, 1953 | July 31, 1955 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |
| 2 | Marion B. Folsom |  |
August 2, 1955 | July 31, 1958 | ||
| 3 | Arthur S. Flemming |  |
August 1, 1958 | January 19, 1961 | ||
| 4 | Abraham A. Ribicoff |  |
January 21, 1961 | July 13, 1962 | John F. Kennedy | |
| 5 | Anthony J. Celebrezze |  |
July 31, 1962 | August 17, 1965 | ||
| Lyndon Johnson | ||||||
| 6 | John W. Gardner |  |
August 18, 1965 | March 1, 1968 | ||
| 7 | Wilbur J. Cohen |  |
May 16, 1968 | January 20, 1969 | ||
| 8 | Robert Finch |  |
January 21, 1969 | June 23, 1970 | Richard Nixon | |
| 9 | Elliot Richardson |  |
June 24, 1970 | January 29, 1973 | ||
| 10 | Caspar Weinberger |  |
February 12, 1973 | August 8, 1975 | ||
| Gerald Ford | ||||||
| 11 | David Mathews |  |
August 8, 1975 | January 20, 1977 | ||
| 12 | Joseph Califano |  |
January 25, 1977 | August 3, 1979 | Jimmy Carter | |
| 13 | Patricia R. Harris |  |
August 3, 1979 | January 20, 1981[4] | Harris was Secretary when the department's name changed. She was also the first African-American woman to hold an ambassadorship and a cabinet position |
[edit] Secretaries of Health and Human Services
| No. | Name | Portrait | Took Office | Left Office | President served under | Notable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Patricia R. Harris | |
August 3, 1979[4] | January 20, 1981 | Jimmy Carter | Harris was Secretary when the department's name changed. She was also the first African-American woman to hold an ambassadorship and a cabinet position |
| 14 | Richard Schweiker |  |
January 22, 1981 | February 3, 1983 | Ronald Reagan | |
| 15 | Margaret Heckler |  |
March 9, 1983 | December 13, 1985 | ||
| 16 | Otis R. Bowen |  |
December 13, 1985 | January 20, 1989 | The first physician to become Secretary of Health and Human Services | |
| 17 | Louis W. Sullivan |  |
March 1, 1989 | January 20, 1993 | George H. W. Bush | |
| 18 | Donna Shalala |  |
January 22, 1993 | January 20, 2001 | Bill Clinton | The first Arab-American Secretary of Health and Human Services |
| 19 | Tommy Thompson |  |
February 2, 2001 | January 26, 2005 | George W. Bush | |
| 20 | Mike Leavitt |  |
January 26, 2005 | January 20, 2009 | ||
| 21 | Kathleen Sebelius | |
April 28, 2009 | Present | Barack Obama |
[edit] Living former secretaries
[edit] Health, Education, and Welfare
[edit] Health and Human Services
- Richard Schweiker
- Margaret Heckler
- Otis R. Bowen
- Louis W. Sullivan
- Donna Shalala
- Tommy Thompson
- Mike Leavitt
[edit] References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: United States Secretary of Health and Human Services |
- General
- United States Department of Health and Human Services Official Website
- Department Of Health And Human Services Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register RSS Feed
- Specific
- ^ "The President's Cabinet". Ben's Guide. 2007-02-01. http://bensguide.gpo.gov/9-12/government/national/cabinet.html. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
- ^ Cox, Simon (2006-08-22). "US food supply 'vulnerable to attack'". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5274022.stm. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
- ^ United States Department of Health and Human Services-Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
- ^ a b Harris was Secretary on May 4, 1980, when the office changed names from Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to Secretary of Health and Human Services. Because the department merely changed names, she did not need to be confirmed again, and her term continued uninterrupted.
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