List of female United States Cabinet members

Madeline Albright wearing a dark blouse and coat, with an eagle badge on her left shoulder
Condoleezza Rice wearing a dark blue jacket over a patterned blouse. The United States flag is in the background.
Hillary Clinton wearing a dark jacket over an orange blouse. The United States flag is in the background.
Madeleine Albright (left), Condoleezza Rice (center), and Hillary Clinton (right) are the highest-ranking women to lead the Federal Executive Department; each held the post of Secretary of State.

The Cabinet of the United States, which is the principal advisory body to the president of the United States, has had altogether 65 female members, with seven of them serving in multiple different positions for a total of 72 cabinet appointments. Of that particular number, 38 unique women held a total of 41 permanent cabinet posts, serving as vice president or head of one of the federal executive departments, and 31 more held cabinet-level positions, which can differ under each president; four officeholders served in both cabinet and cabinet-rank roles. No woman held a presidential cabinet position before the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which prohibits states and the federal government from denying any citizen the right to vote because of that citizen's sex.

Frances Perkins became the first woman to serve in a president's cabinet when she was appointed secretary of labor by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Patricia Roberts Harris was the first African-American woman and the first woman of color to serve in a presidential cabinet when she was named secretary of housing and urban development by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Two years later, Carter tapped her for secretary of health and human services, therefore making her the first woman to hold two different cabinet positions. Madeleine Albright, who was born in Czechoslovakia, became the first foreign-born woman to serve in a president's cabinet when she was picked by President Bill Clinton for United States ambassador to the United Nations, a cabinet-rank position, in 1993. She was elevated to secretary of state four years later, during Clinton's second term, thus becoming the highest-ranking woman in the federal government's history at the time.

On January 26, 2005, Condoleezza Rice assumed the post of secretary of state under President George W. Bush, which made her the highest-ranked woman among cabinet secretaries to enter the presidential line of succession at number four. Nancy Pelosi surpassed Rice on January 4, 2007, when her election as the first female speaker of the House put her second in line to the presidency. Kamala Harris replaced Pelosi to become the highest-ranking woman ever to be in the line of succession upon being inaugurated as the first female vice president on January 20, 2021, alongside President Joe Biden.

President Joe Biden named the most women as secretaries to his first-term Cabinet, with five: former U.S. representative Marcia Fudge (D-OH) as secretary of housing and urban development; Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm as secretary of energy; U.S. representative Deb Haaland (D-NM) as secretary of the interior; Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo as secretary of commerce; and Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen as secretary of the treasury, exceeding by one the record set by President Barack Obama. However, including cabinet reshuffles during his second term in office, Obama still holds the record for most women appointed to permanent cabinet positions with eight, the most of any presidency, therefore surpassing George W. Bush's previous record of six appointees.

The Department of Labor has had the most female secretaries, with seven. The Department of Health and Human Services has had five; the Department of Commerce has had four; the departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, State, and Transportation have had three; the departments of Energy, Homeland Security, and Justice have had two; and the departments of Agriculture and Treasury have had one. The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are the only existing executive departments that do not have female secretaries yet.

The totals for this list include only women presidential appointees confirmed (if necessary) by the United States Senate to cabinet or cabinet-level positions and taking their oath of office; they do not include acting officials or nominees awaiting confirmation.

Permanent Cabinet members

The following list includes women who have held permanent Cabinet positions, all of whom are in the line of succession to the Presidency. The table below is organized based on the beginning of their terms in office. Officeholders whose terms begin the same day are ranked according to presidential order of succession.

 *  denotes the first female holder of that particular office
No. Portrait Name Office Succession Term start Term end Party Administration(s) Ref.
1 Frances Perkins cph.3a04983.jpg Frances Perkins* Secretary of Labor 11 March 4, 1933 June 30, 1945 Democratic Roosevelt
Truman
2 Hobby-Oveta-Culp.jpg Oveta Hobby* Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare 12 April 11, 1953 July 31, 1955 Republican Eisenhower
3 Carla A. Hills official portrait.jpg Carla Hills* Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 13 March 10, 1975 January 20, 1977 Ford
4 Kreps-juanita-morris.png Juanita M. Kreps* Secretary of Commerce 10 January 23, 1977 October 31, 1979 Democratic Carter
5 Patricia R. Harris official portrait.jpg Patricia Harris Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 13 January 23, 1977 September 10, 1979
Secretary of Health and Human Services 12 August 3, 1979 January 20, 1981
6 United States Secretary of Education Shirley Hufstedler at Miami-Dade Community College.jpg Shirley Hufstedler* Secretary of Education 16 November 30, 1979 January 20, 1981
7 Secretary Elizabeth Dole portrait.jpg Elizabeth Dole* Secretary of Transportation 14 February 7, 1983 September 30, 1987 Republican Reagan
8 Margaret Heckler (DOS 1985).png Margaret Heckler Secretary of Health and Human Services 12 March 10, 1983 December 13, 1985
9 Portrait of Ann Dore McLaughlin, Under Secretary Dept. of Interior ME1670-10.jpg Ann McLaughlin Secretary of Labor 11 December 14, 1987 January 20, 1989
(7) Edole1.jpg Elizabeth Dole Secretary of Labor 11 January 25, 1989 November 23, 1990 Bush Sr.
10 Lynn Morley Martin.jpg Lynn Martin Secretary of Labor 11 February 7, 1991 January 20, 1993
11 BarbaraHackmanFranklin.jpg Barbara Franklin Secretary of Commerce 10 February 27, 1992 January 20, 1993
12 Shalala portrait.jpg Donna Shalala Secretary of Health and Human Services 12 January 22, 1993 January 20, 2001 Democratic Clinton
13 Hazel O'Leary 2.jpg Hazel R. O'Leary* Secretary of Energy 15 January 22, 1993 January 20, 1997
14 Janet Reno-us-Portrait.jpg Janet Reno* Attorney General 7 March 12, 1993 January 20, 2001
15 Secalbright.jpg Madeleine Albright* Secretary of State 4 January 23, 1997 January 20, 2001
16 Alexis osec.jpg Alexis Herman Secretary of Labor 11 May 1, 1997 January 20, 2001
17 Ann Veneman.jpg Ann Veneman* Secretary of Agriculture 9 January 20, 2001 January 20, 2005 Republican Bush Jr.
18 Elaine Chao large.jpg Elaine Chao Secretary of Labor 11 January 29, 2001 January 20, 2009
19 Gale Norton.jpeg Gale Norton* Secretary of the Interior 8 January 31, 2001 March 31, 2006
20 Margaret Spellings, official ed photo 2.jpg Margaret Spellings Secretary of Education 16 January 20, 2005 January 20, 2009
21 Condoleezza Rice cropped.jpg Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State 4 January 26, 2005 January 20, 2009
22 Mary Peters official DOT portrait.jpg Mary E. Peters Secretary of Transportation 14 October 17, 2006 January 20, 2009
23 Hillary Clinton official Secretary of State portrait crop.jpg Hillary Clinton Secretary of State 4 January 21, 2009 February 1, 2013 Democratic Obama
24 Janet Napolitano official portrait.jpg Janet Napolitano* Secretary of Homeland Security 18 January 21, 2009 September 6, 2013
25 Hilda Solis official DOL portrait.jpg Hilda Solis Secretary of Labor 11 February 24, 2009 January 22, 2013
26 Kathleen Sebelius official portrait.jpg Kathleen Sebelius Secretary of Health and Human Services 12 April 28, 2009 June 9, 2014
27 Sally Jewell official portrait.jpg Sally Jewell Secretary of the Interior 8 April 12, 2013 January 20, 2017
28 Penny Pritzker official portrait.jpg Penny Pritzker Secretary of Commerce 10 June 26, 2013 January 20, 2017
29 Sylvia Mathews Burwell official portrait.jpg Sylvia Burwell Secretary of Health and Human Services 12 June 9, 2014 January 20, 2017
30 Loretta Lynch, official portrait.jpg Loretta Lynch Attorney General 7 April 27, 2015 January 20, 2017
(18) Elaine Chao official photo.jpg Elaine Chao Secretary of Transportation 14 January 31, 2017 January 11, 2021 Republican Trump
31 Betsy DeVos official portrait.jpg Betsy DeVos Secretary of Education 16 February 7, 2017 January 8, 2021
32 Kirstjen Nielsen official photo.jpg Kirstjen Nielsen Secretary of Homeland Security 18 December 6, 2017 April 10, 2019
33 Kamala Harris Vice Presidential Portrait.jpg Kamala Harris* Vice President 1 January 20, 2021 Incumbent Democratic Biden
34 Secretary Janet Yellen portrait.jpg Janet Yellen* Secretary of the Treasury 5 January 26, 2021 Incumbent
35 Secretary Jennifer Granholm.jpg Jennifer Granholm Secretary of Energy 15 February 25, 2021 Incumbent
36 Gina Raimondo.jpg Gina Raimondo Secretary of Commerce 10 March 3, 2021 Incumbent
37 SecretaryMarciaFudge.jpg Marcia Fudge Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 13 March 10, 2021 Incumbent
38 SecretaryDebHaaland.jpg Deb Haaland Secretary of the Interior 8 March 16, 2021 Incumbent

Former permanent Cabinet members

Cabinet-level positions

The president may designate or remove additional officials as members of the Cabinet. These positions have not always been in the Cabinet, so some female officeholders may not be listed.

The following list includes women who have held Cabinet-level positions, which can vary under each president. They are not in the line of succession and are not necessarily officers of the United States. The table below is organized based on the beginning of their terms in office while it was raised to cabinet-level status. Officeholders whose terms begin the same day are ranked alphabetically by last name.

 *  denotes the first female holder of that particular office
No. Portrait Name Office Term start Term end Party Administration(s) Ref.
1 Anne Armstrong 1982.jpg Anne L. Armstrong* Counselor to the President January 19, 1973 December 18, 1974 Republican Nixon
Ford
2 Od jeane-kirkpatrick-official-portrait 1-255x301.jpg Jeane Kirkpatrick* United States Ambassador to the United Nations February 4, 1981 April 1, 1985 Reagan
3 Carla A. Hills official portrait.jpg Carla Hills* United States Trade Representative February 6, 1989 January 20, 1993 Bush Sr.
4 CarolBrownerCirca1996.jpg Carol Browner Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency January 23, 1993 January 20, 2001 Democratic Clinton
5 Secalbright.jpg Madeleine Albright United States Ambassador to the United Nations January 27, 1993 January 21, 1997
6 Laura tyson.jpg Laura Tyson* Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers February 5, 1993 February 21, 1995
7 Alice Rivlin.jpg Alice Rivlin* Director of the Office of Management and Budget October 17, 1994 April 26, 1996
8 Janet Yellen official CEA portrait.jpg Janet Yellen Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers February 18, 1997 August 3, 1999
9 Aida Alvarez in 1999 (11B).jpg Aida Álvarez Administrator of the Small Business Administration March 7, 1997 January 19, 2001
10 Charlene Barshefsky official portrait.jpg Charlene Barshefsky United States Trade Representative March 18, 1997 January 20, 2001
11 Christine Todd Whitman 412-APD-A5-EPA13a.jpg Christine Whitman Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency January 31, 2001 June 27, 2003 Republican Bush Jr.
12 Susan Schwab, USTR official photo.jpg Susan Schwab United States Trade Representative June 8, 2006 January 20, 2009
13 Lisa P. Jackson official portrait.jpg Lisa P. Jackson Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency January 23, 2009 February 19, 2013 Democratic Obama
14 Susan Rice, official State Dept photo portrait, 2009.jpg Susan Rice United States Ambassador to the United Nations January 26, 2009 June 30, 2013
15 Christina Romer official portrait small.jpg Christina Romer Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers January 28, 2009 September 3, 2010
16 Karen Mills official portrait.jpg Karen Mills Administrator of the Small Business Administration January 13, 2012 September 1, 2013
17 Sec-burwell-bio-pic.jpg Sylvia Burwell Director of the Office of Management and Budget April 24, 2013 June 9, 2014
18 Gina McCarthy official portrait.jpg Gina McCarthy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency July 18, 2013 January 20, 2017
19 Samantha Power.jpg Samantha Power United States Ambassador to the United Nations August 5, 2013 January 20, 2017
20 Maria Contreras Sweet portrait.jpg Maria Contreras-Sweet Administrator of the Small Business Administration April 7, 2014 January 20, 2017
21 Nikki Haley official photo.jpg Nikki Haley United States Ambassador to the United Nations January 25, 2017 December 31, 2018 Republican Trump
22 Linda McMahon official photo.jpg Linda McMahon Administrator of the Small Business Administration February 14, 2017 April 12, 2019
23 Gina Haspel official CIA portrait.jpg Gina Haspel* Director of the Central Intelligence Agency May 21, 2018 January 20, 2021
24 Administrator Jovita Carranza portrait.jpg Jovita Carranza Administrator of the Small Business Administration January 14, 2020 January 20, 2021
25 Avril-Haines.jpg Avril Haines* Director of National Intelligence January 21, 2021 Incumbent Democratic Biden
26 Linda-Thomas-Greenfield-v1-8x10-1.jpg Linda Thomas-Greenfield United States Ambassador to the United Nations February 25, 2021 Incumbent
27 Cecilia Rouse, CEA Chair.png Cecilia Rouse Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers March 12, 2021 March 31, 2023
28 Isabella Casillas Guzman, SBA Administrator.png Isabel Guzman Administrator of the Small Business Administration March 17, 2021 Incumbent
29 Katherine Tai, official portrait.jpg Katherine Tai United States Trade Representative March 18, 2021 Incumbent
30 Shalanda Young, OMB Deputy Director.jpg Shalanda Young Director of the Office of Management and Budget March 17, 2022 Incumbent
31 Dr. Arati Prabhakar by Sun L. Vega, 2015.jpg Arati Prabhakar* Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy October 3, 2022 Incumbent

Pending nominees for Cabinet secretaries and Cabinet-level positions

Nominee Office Announced Party Administration Ref.
Julie Su Secretary of Labor February 28, 2023 Democratic Biden

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-04-30 18:54 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari