Appendix B - Secretaries of War and Secretaries of the Army

APPENDIX B

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES,
SECRETARIES OF WAR, AND SECRETARIES OF THE ARMY

President¹	Secretary of War	Tenure in Office
George Washington 30 Apr 1789–3 Mar 1797	Henry Knox Timothy Pickering James McHenry	12 Sep 1789–31 Dec 1794 2 Jan 1795–10 Dec 1795 27 Jan 1796–
John Adams 4 Mar 1797–3 Mar 1801	James McHenry Samuel Dexter	–13 May 1800 13 May 1800–31 Jan 1801
Thomas Jefferson 4 Mar 1801–3 Mar 1809	Henry Dearborn	5 Mar 1801–
James Madison 4 Mar 1809–3 Mar 1817	Henry Dearborn William Eustis John Armstrong James Monroe William H. Crawford	–7 Mar 1809 7 Mar 1809–13 Jan 1813 13 Jan 1813–27 Sep 1814 27 Sep 1814–2 Mar 1815 1 Aug 1815–22 Oct 1816
James Monroe 4 Mar 1817–3 Mar 1825	John C. Calhoun	8 Oct 1817–
John Quincy Adams 4 Mar 1825–3 Mar 1829	John C. Calhoun James Barbour Peter B. Porter	–7 Mar 1825 7 Mar 1825–23 May 1828 26 May 1828–
Andrew Jackson 4 Mar 1829–3 Mar 1837	Peter B. Porter John H. Eaton Lewis Cass	–9 Mar 1829 9 Mar 1829–18 Jun 1831 1 Aug 1831–5 Oct 1836
Martin Van Buren 4 Mar 1837–3 Mar 1841	Joel R. Poinsett	7 Mar 1837–
William Henry Harrison 4 Mar 1841–4 Apr 1841	Joel R. Poinsett John Bell	–5 Mar 1841 5 Mar 1841–
John Tyler 6 Apr 1841–3 Mar 1845	John Bell John C. Spencer James M. Porter William Wilkins	–13 Sep 1841 12 Oct 1841–3 Mar 1843 8 Mar 1843–30 Jan 1844 15 Feb 1844–4 Mar 1845
James K. Polk 4 Mar 1845–3 Mar 1849	William L. Marcy	6 Mar 1845–5 Mar 1849
Zachary Taylor 5 Mar 1849–9 Jul 1850	George W. Crawford	8 Mar 1849–
Millard Fillmore 10 Jul 1850–3 Mar 1853	George W. Crawford Charles M. Conrad	–23 Jul 1850 15 Aug 1850–
Franklin Pierce 4 Mar 1853–3 Mar 1857	Charles M. Conrad Jefferson Davis	–7 Mar 1853 7 Mar 1853–
James Buchanan 4 Mar 1857–3 Mar 1861	Jefferson Davis John B. Floyd Joseph Holt	–6 Mar 1857 6 Mar 1857–29 Dec 1860 18 Jan 1861–
Abraham Lincoln 4 Mar 1861–15 Apr 1865	Joseph Holt Simon Cameron Edwin M. Stanton	–5 Mar 1861 5 Mar 1861–15 Jan 1862 20 Jan 1862–
Andrew Johnson 15 Apr 1865–3 Mar 1869	Edwin M. Stanton John M. Schofield	–28 May 1868 1 Jun 1868–
Ulysses S. Grant 4 Mar 1869–3 Mar 1877	John M. Schofield John A. Rawlins William W. Belknap Alphonso Taft James D. Cameron	–13 Mar 1869 13 Mar 1869–6 Sep 1869 25 Oct 1869–2 Mar 1876 8 Mar 1876–22 May 1876 22 May 1876–3 Mar 1877
Rutherford B. Hayes 4 Mar 1877–3 Mar 1881	George W. McCrary Alexander Ramsey	12 Mar 1877–10 Dec 1879 10 Dec 1879–
James A. Garfield 4 Mar 1881–19 Sep 1881	Alexander Ramsey Robert T. Lincoln	–5 Mar 1881 5 Mar 1881–
Chester A. Arthur 20 Sep 1881–3 Mar 1885	Robert T. Lincoln	–
Grover Cleveland 4 Mar 1885–3 Mar 1889	Robert T. Lincoln William C. Endicott	–5 Mar 1885 5 Mar 1885–
Benjamin Harrison 4 Mar 1889–3 Mar 1893	William C. Endicott Redfield Proctor Stephen B. Elkins	–5 Mar 1889 5 Mar 1889–5 Nov 1891 17 Dec 1891–
Grover Cleveland 4 Mar 1893–3 Mar 1897	Stephen B. Elkins Daniel S. Lamont	–5 Mar 1893 5 Mar 1893–
William McKinley 4 Mar 1897–14 Sep 1901	Daniel S. Lamont Russell A. Alger Elihu Root	–5 Mar 18975 Mar 1897 –1 Aug 1899 1 Aug 1899–
Theodore Roosevelt 14 Sep 1901–3 Mar 1909	Elihu Root William H. Taft Luke E. Wright	–31 Jan 1904 1 Feb 1904–30 Jun 1908 1 Jul 1908–
William H. Taft 4 Mar 1909–3 Mar 1913	Luke E. Wright Jacob M. Dickinson Henry L. Stimson	–11 Mar 1909 12 Mar 1909–21 May 1911 22 May 1911–4 Mar 1913
Woodrow Wilson 4 Mar 1913–3 Mar 1921	Lindley M. Garrison Newton D. Baker	5 Mar 1913–10 Feb 1916 9 Mar 1916–4 Mar 1921
Warren G. Harding 4 Mar 1921–2 Aug 1923	John W. Weeks	5 Mar 1921–
Calvin Coolidge 3 Aug 1923–3 Mar 1929	John W. Weeks Dwight F. Davis	–13 Oct 1925 14 Oct 1925–
Herbert C. Hoover 4 Mar 1929–3 Mar 1933	Dwight F. Davis James W. Good Patrick J. Hurley	–5 Mar 1929 6 Mar 1929–18 Nov 1929 9 Dec 1929–3 Mar 1933
Franklin D. Roosevelt 4 Mar 1933–12 Apr 1945	George H. Dern Harry H. Woodring Henry L. Stimson	4 Mar 1933–27 Aug 1936 25 Sep 1936–20 Jun 1940 10 Jul 1940–
Harry S. Truman 12 Apr 1945–20 Jan 1953	Henry L. Stimson Robert P. Patterson Kenneth C. Royall	–21 Sep 1945 27 Sep 1945–18 Jul 1947 19 Jul 1947–17 Sep 1947

President¹	Secretary of War	Tenure in Office
Harry S. Truman 12 Apr 1945–20 Jan 1953	Kenneth C. Royall Gordon Gray Frank Pace, Jr.	17 Sep 1947–27 Apr 1949 20 Jun 1949–12 Apr 1950 12 Apr 1950–20 Jan 1953
Dwight D. Eisenhower 20 Jan 1953–20 Jan 1961	Robert T. Stevens Wilber M. Brucker	4 Feb 1953–21 Jul 1955 21 Jul 1955–19 Jan 1961
John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961–22 Nov 1963	Elvis J. Stahr, Jr. Cyrus R. Vance	25 Jan 1961–30 Jun 1962 5 Jul 1962–
Lyndon B. Johnson 22 Nov 1963–20 Jan 1969	Cyrus R. Vance Stephen Ailes Stanley R. Resor	–21 Jan 1964 28 Jan 1964–1 Jul 1965 2 Jul 1965–
Richard M. Nixon 20 Jan 1969–9 Aug 1974	Stanley R. Resor Robert F. Froehlke Howard H. Callaway	–20 Jun 1971 1 Jul 1971–14 May 1973 15 May 1973–
Gerald R. Ford 9 Aug 1974–20 Jan 1977	Howard H. Callaway Martin R. Hoffmann	–3 Jul 1975 5 Aug 1975 –
James E. Carter 20 Jan 1977–20 Jan 1981	Martin R. Hoffmann Clifford L. Alexander, Jr.	–13 Feb 1977 14 Feb 1977–20 Jan 1981
Ronald W. Reagan 20 Jan 1981–20 Jan 1989	John O. Marsh, Jr.	29 Jan 1981–14 Aug 1989
George Bush 20 Jan 1989–	Michael P. W. Stone	14 Aug 1989–

¹The question of whether the President’s term of office expired at midnight of 3 March or noon of 4 March was not spelled out in the United States Constitution and became the subject of a variety of interpretations in the early years of the republic. In 1821, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, apparently at President Monroe’s request, asked Chief Justice John Marshall for an expression on the subject. The Chief Justice, noting that he had "conversed with my brethren on the subject," stated that "As the constitution only provides that the President shall take the oath it ‘prescribes before he enter on the execution of his office,’ and as the law is silent on the subject, the time seems to be in some measure at the discretion of that high officer. There is an obvious propriety in taking the oath as soon as it can conveniently be taken, & thereby shortening the interval in which the executive power is suspended. But some interval is inevitable. The time of the actual President will expire, and that of the President elect commence, at twelve in the night of the 3d of March. It has been usual to take the oath at mid day on the 4th. . . ." On the basis of this statement, somewhat in the nature of an advisory opinion of the Supreme Court, the date of 3 March is used in this chart as the limit of the incumbent’s term of office, and 4 March as the start of the successor’s term. The question was finally resolved in law in 1933 with the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution, which changed the inaugural date to 20 January and set noon as the hour for the Presidential transition.

page updated 2 May 2001

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