United States Secretary of Defense
List of Secretaries of Defense

United States Secretary of Defense

Section Title: List of Secretaries of Defense
Table Section Text: None

№	Secretary of Defense	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Party	State of residence	President serving under	Ref

1	James Forrestal	James Forrestal (1892–1949)	September 17, 1947	March 28, 1949	1 year, 192 days	Democratic	New York	Harry S Truman (Dem)

2	Louis A. Johnson	Louis A. Johnson (1891–1966)	March 28, 1949	September 19, 1950	1 year, 175 days	Democratic	West Virginia	Harry S Truman (Dem)

3	George Marshall	George Marshall (1880–1959)	September 21, 1950	September 12, 1951	356 days	Independent	Pennsylvania	Harry S Truman (Dem)

4	Robert A. Lovett	Robert A. Lovett (1895–1986)	September 17, 1951	January 20, 1953	1 year, 125 days	Republican	New York	Harry S Truman (Dem)

5	Charles Erwin Wilson	Charles Erwin Wilson (1890–1961)	January 28, 1953	October 8, 1957	4 years, 253 days	Republican	Michigan	Dwight D. Eisenhower (Rep)

6	Neil H. McElroy	Neil H. McElroy (1904–1972)	October 9, 1957	December 1, 1959	2 years, 53 days	Republican	Ohio	Dwight D. Eisenhower (Rep)

7	Thomas S. Gates Jr.	Thomas S. Gates Jr. (1906–1983)	December 2, 1959	January 20, 1961	1 year, 49 days	Republican	Pennsylvania	Dwight D. Eisenhower (Rep)

8	Robert McNamara	Robert McNamara (1916–2009)	January 21, 1961	February 29, 1968	7 years, 39 days	Republican	Michigan	John F. Kennedy (Dem) Lyndon B. Johnson (Dem)

9	Clark Clifford	Clark Clifford (1906–1998)	March 1, 1968	January 20, 1969	325 days	Democratic	Maryland	Lyndon B. Johnson (Dem)

10	Melvin R. Laird	Melvin R. Laird (1922–2016)	January 22, 1969	January 29, 1973	4 years, 7 days	Republican	Wisconsin	Richard Nixon (Rep)

11	Elliot Richardson	Elliot Richardson (1920–1999)	January 30, 1973	May 24, 1973	114 days	Republican	Massachusetts	Richard Nixon (Rep)

–	Bill Clements	Bill Clements (1917–2011) Acting	May 24, 1973	July 2, 1973	39 days	Republican	Texas	Richard Nixon (Rep)

12	James R. Schlesinger	James R. Schlesinger (1929–2014)	July 2, 1973	November 19, 1975	1 year, 38 days	Republican	Virginia	Richard Nixon (Rep) Gerald Ford (Rep)

13	Donald Rumsfeld	Donald Rumsfeld (born 1932)	November 20, 1975	January 20, 1977	1 year, 61 days	Republican	Illinois	Gerald Ford (Rep)

14	Harold Brown	Harold Brown (1917–2019)	January 20, 1977	January 20, 1981	4 years, 0 days	Independent	California	Jimmy Carter (Dem)

15	Caspar Weinberger	Caspar Weinberger (1917–2006)	January 21, 1981	November 23, 1987	6 years, 306 days	Republican	California	Ronald Reagan (Rep)

16	Frank Carlucci	Frank Carlucci (1930–2018)	November 23, 1987	January 20, 1989	1 year, 58 days	Republican	Virginia	Ronald Reagan (Rep)

–	William Howard Taft IV	William Howard Taft IV (born 1945) Acting	January 20, 1989	March 21, 1989	60 days	Republican	Ohio	George H. W. Bush (Rep)

17	Dick Cheney	Dick Cheney (born 1941)	March 21, 1989	January 20, 1993	3 years, 305 days	Republican	Wyoming	George H. W. Bush (Rep)

18	Leslie Aspin	Leslie Aspin (1938–1995)	January 20, 1993	February 3, 1994	1 year, 14 days	Democratic	Wisconsin	Bill Clinton (Dem)

19	William Perry	William Perry (born 1927)	February 3, 1994	January 23, 1997 / January 24, 1997	2 years, 356 days	Independent	Pennsylvania	Bill Clinton (Dem)	.

20	William Cohen	William Cohen (born 1940)	January 24, 1997	January 20, 2001	3 years, 362 days	Republican	Maine	Bill Clinton (Dem)

21	Donald Rumsfeld	Donald Rumsfeld (born 1932)	January 20, 2001	December 18, 2006	5 years, 332 days (7 years, 29 days total)	Republican	Illinois	George W. Bush (Rep)

22	Robert Gates	Robert Gates (born 1943)	December 18, 2006	June 30, 2011 / July 1, 2011	4 years, 194 days	Republican	Texas	George W. Bush (Rep) Barack Obama (Dem)	.

23	Leon Panetta	Leon Panetta (born 1938)	July 1, 2011	February 26, 2013	1 year, 240 days	Democratic	California	Barack Obama (Dem)

24	Chuck Hagel	Chuck Hagel (born 1946)	February 27, 2013	February 17, 2015	1 year, 355 days	Republican	Nebraska	Barack Obama (Dem)

25	Ash Carter	Ash Carter (born 1954)	February 17, 2015	January 19, 2017	1 year, 337 days	Democratic	Massachusetts	Barack Obama (Dem)

26	Jim Mattis	Jim Mattis (born 1950)	January 20, 2017	December 31, 2018	1 year, 345 days	Independent	Washington	Donald Trump (Rep)

–	Patrick M. Shanahan	Patrick M. Shanahan (born 1962) Acting	January 1, 2019	Incumbent	112 days	Independent	Washington	Donald Trump (Rep)

Sentence(s)

The Secretary of Defense was Elliot Richardson, who served 114 days.

final_sentence: The Secretary of Defense was Elliot Richardson, who served 114 days.