United States Secretary of the Treasury

United States Secretary of the Treasury
File:Seal of the United States Department of the Treasury.svg Seal of the Department of the Treasury
File:Flag of the United States Secretary of the Treasury.svg Flag of the Secretary of the Treasury
File:Scott Bessent, official portrait (2025) (cropped).jpg Incumbent Scott Bessent since January 28, 2025
United States Department of the Treasury
Style	Madam Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Member of	Cabinet National Security Council
Reports to	President of the United States
Seat	Washington, D.C.
Appointer	President of the United States with Senate advice and consent
Term length	At the pleasure of the President
Constituting instrument	31 U.S.C. § 301
Formation	September 11, 1789 (1789-09-11)
First holder	Alexander Hamilton
Succession	Fifth
Deputy	United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
Salary	Executive Schedule, Level I
Website	www.treasury.gov

The United States Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury. The Secretary is concerned with finance and monetary matters, and, until 2003, some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United States is similar to the finance ministers of other nations.

From the U.S. Department of the Treasury website Archived 2010-11-19 at the Wayback Machine:

"The Secretary of the Treasury is the principal economic advisor to the President and plays a critical role in policy-making by bringing an economic and government financial policy perspective to issues facing the government. The Secretary is responsible for formulating and recommending domestic and international financial, economic, and tax policy, participating in the formulation of broad fiscal policies that have general significance for the economy, and managing the public debt. The Secretary oversees the activities of the Department in carrying out its major law enforcement responsibilities; in serving as the financial agent for the United States Government; and in manufacturing coins and currency.

"The Chief Financial Officer of the government, the Secretary serves as Chairman Pro Tempore of the President's Economic Policy Council, Chairman of the Boards and Managing Trustee of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds, and as U.S. Governor of the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development."

Secretaries of the Treasury

File:Robert morris portrait.jpg

Peale portrait of Robert Morris

Note: Robert Morris was the first person appointed Secretary of the Treasury by George Washington, but Morris declined this office; thus the 1st Secretary of the Treasury was Alexander Hamilton - appointed at Morris's suggestion. Morris had held a similar position as Superintendent of Finance under the Continental Congress. From Morris's 1784 resignation until 1789, the young union's finances were overseen by a three-member Treasury Board. [1] Archived 2009-09-26 at the Wayback Machine

Parties

  No party (1)   Federalist (4)   Democratic-Republican (4)   Democratic (29)   Whig (5)   Republican (34)

Status

  Denotes acting Secretary of the Treasury

  Nominee for Secretary of the Treasury

No.	Portrait	Name	State of residence	Took office	Left office	President(s)
1	File:Alexander Hamilton, by Trumbull.jpg	Alexander Hamilton	New York	September 11, 1789	January 31, 1795		George Washington
2	File:Oliver Wolcott Jr by Gilbert Stuart circa 1820.jpeg	Oliver Wolcott, Jr.	Connecticut	February 3, 1795	December 31, 1800
							John Adams
3	File:Samuel Dexter.jpg	Samuel Dexter	Massachusetts	January 1, 1801	May 13, 1801
							Thomas Jefferson
4	File:Albert Gallatin 3.JPG	Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin	Pennsylvania	May 14, 1801	February 8, 1814
							James Madison
5	File:George W Campbell cph.3a00320.jpg	George W. Campbell	Tennessee	February 9, 1814	October 5, 1814
6	File:Alexander J. Dallas.jpg	Alexander J. Dallas	Pennsylvania	October 6, 1814	October 21, 1816
–	File:William-Jones.jpg	William Jones Acting	Pennsylvania	October 21, 1816	October 22, 1816
7	File:Portrait of William Harris Crawford.jpg	William H. Crawford	Georgia	October 22, 1816	March 6, 1825
							James Monroe
8	File:RUSH, Richard-BEP069-Treasury (BEP engraved portrait).jpg	Richard Rush	Pennsylvania	March 7, 1825	March 5, 1829		John Quincy Adams
9	File:SIng.jpg	Samuel D. Ingham	Pennsylvania	March 6, 1829	June 20, 1831		Andrew Jackson
10	File:Louis McLane (Treasury Secretary, BEP engraved portrait, cropped).jpg	Louis McLane	Delaware	August 8, 1831	May 28, 1833
11	File:William J Duane.jpg	William J. Duane	Pennsylvania	May 29, 1833	September 22, 1833
12	File:Roger Taney.jpg	Roger B. Taney	Maryland	September 23, 1833	June 25, 1834
13	File:Levi Woodbury SecNavy.jpg	Levi Woodbury	New Hampshire	July 1, 1834	March 3, 1841
							Martin Van Buren
14	File:ThomasEwingSr.jpg	Thomas Ewing	Ohio	March 4, 1841	September 11, 1841		William Henry Harrison
							John Tyler
15	File:WForward-SecofTreas.jpg	Walter Forward	Pennsylvania	September 13, 1841	March 1, 1843
16	File:SPENCER, John C-Treasury (BEP engraved portrait) (cropped).jpg	John C. Spencer	New York	March 8, 1843	May 2, 1844
17	File:George M. Bibb - Brady-Handy.jpg	George M. Bibb	Kentucky	July 4, 1844	March 7, 1845
18	File:Hon. Robert J. Walker, Miss - NARA - 528738.jpg	Robert J. Walker	Mississippi	March 8, 1845	March 5, 1849		James K. Polk
19	File:WMMeredith.jpg	William M. Meredith	Pennsylvania	March 8, 1849	July 22, 1850		Zachary Taylor
20	File:TCorwin.jpg	Thomas Corwin	Ohio	July 23, 1850	March 6, 1853		Millard Fillmore
21	File:James-Guthrie-(wreaths).jpg	James Guthrie	Kentucky	March 7, 1853	March 6, 1857		Franklin Pierce
22	File:Cobb, Howell2.jpg	Howell Cobb	Georgia	March 7, 1857	December 8, 1860		James Buchanan
23	File:Philip Francis Thomas, sitting.jpg	Philip Francis Thomas	Maryland	December 12, 1860	January 14, 1861
24	File:John adams dix.jpg	John Adams Dix	New York	January 15, 1861	March 6, 1861
25	File:Mathew Brady, Portrait of Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, officer of the United States government (1860–1865, full version).jpg	Salmon P. Chase	Ohio	March 7, 1861	June 30, 1864		Abraham Lincoln
26	File:Hon. William P. Fessenden, Maine - NARA - 529980.jpg	William P. Fessenden	Maine	July 5, 1864	March 3, 1865
27	File:Hugh McCulloch.png	Hugh McCulloch	Indiana	March 9, 1865	March 3, 1869
							Andrew Johnson
28	File:George Boutwell, Brady-Handy photo portrait, ca1870-1880.jpg	George S. Boutwell	Massachusetts	March 12, 1869	March 16, 1873		Ulysses S. Grant
29	File:William Adams Richardson Brady-Handy.tif	William Adams Richardson	Massachusetts	March 17, 1873	June 3, 1874
30	File:Benjamin Helm Bristow Brady - Handy U.S. Secretary of Treasury.jpg	Benjamin Bristow	Kentucky	June 4, 1874	June 20, 1876
31	File:Lot M. Morrill Brady-Handy Portrait Photo.jpg	Lot M. Morrill	Maine	July 7, 1876	March 9, 1877
32	File:John-Sherman-2.jpg	John Sherman	Ohio	March 10, 1877	March 3, 1881		Rutherford B. Hayes
33	File:William Windom, Brady-Handy photo portrait, ca1870-1880.jpg	William Windom	Minnesota	March 8, 1881	November 13, 1881		James A. Garfield
							Chester A. Arthur
34	File:Charles j folger cropped 2.jpg	Charles J. Folger	New York	November 14, 1881	September 4, 1884
35	File:Walter Q. Gresham - Brady-Handy.jpg	Walter Q. Gresham	Indiana	September 5, 1884	October 30, 1884
36	File:Hugh McCulloch.png	Hugh McCulloch	Indiana	October 31, 1884	March 7, 1885
37	File:MANNING, Daniel-Treasury (BEP engraved portrait).jpg	Daniel Manning	New York	March 8, 1885	March 31, 1887		Grover Cleveland
38	File:Charles S Fairchild - SecofTreasury.jpg	Charles S. Fairchild	New York	April 1, 1887	March 6, 1889
39	File:William Windom, Brady-Handy photo portrait, ca1870-1880.jpg	William Windom	Minnesota	March 7, 1889	January 29, 1891		Benjamin Harrison
40	File:Charles Foster, Brady-Handy photo portrait, ca1865-1880.jpg	Charles Foster	Ohio	February 25, 1891	March 6, 1893
41	File:John Griffin Carlisle, Brady-Handy photo portrait, ca1870-1880.jpg	John G. Carlisle	Kentucky	March 7, 1893	March 5, 1897		Grover Cleveland
42	File:Lyman Gage, Bain photo portrait.jpg	Lyman J. Gage	Illinois	March 6, 1897	January 31, 1902		William McKinley
							Theodore Roosevelt
43	File:Leslie Shaw, Bain photo portrait.jpg	L. M. Shaw	Iowa	February 1, 1902	March 3, 1907
44	File:Cortelyou-george-bruce.jpg	George B. Cortelyou	New York	March 4, 1907	March 7, 1909
45	File:Franklin MacVeagh, formal bw photo portrait, 1909.jpg	Franklin MacVeagh	Illinois	March 8, 1909	March 5, 1913		William Howard Taft
46	File:William Gibbs McAdoo, formal photo portrait, 1914.jpg	William G. McAdoo	New York	March 6, 1913	December 15, 1918		Woodrow Wilson
47	File:Senator Carter Glass of Virginia.jpg	Carter Glass	Virginia	December 16, 1918	February 1, 1920
48	File:Picture of David F. Houston.jpg	David F. Houston	Missouri	February 2, 1920	March 3, 1921
49	File:AWMellon.jpg	Andrew W. Mellon	Pennsylvania	March 4, 1921	February 12, 1932		Warren G. Harding
							Calvin Coolidge
							Herbert Hoover
50	File:Ogden Livingston Mills.jpg	Ogden L. Mills	New York	February 13, 1932	March 4, 1933
51	File:Woodin2.jpg	William H. Woodin	New York	March 5, 1933	December 31, 1933		Franklin D. Roosevelt
52	File:Henry Morgenthau, Jr..jpg	Henry Morgenthau, Jr.	New York	January 1, 1934	July 22, 1945
53	File:Frederick Vinson portrait.png	Fred M. Vinson	Kentucky	July 23, 1945	June 23, 1946		Harry S. Truman
54	File:Portrait of John W. Snyder.jpg	John Wesley Snyder	Missouri	June 25, 1946	January 20, 1953
55	File:George M Humphrey.jpg	George M. Humphrey	Ohio	January 21, 1953	July 29, 1957		Dwight D. Eisenhower
56	File:Robert B Anderson.jpeg	Robert B. Anderson	Connecticut	July 29, 1957	January 20, 1961
57	File:C Douglas Dillon.jpg	C. Douglas Dillon	New Jersey	January 21, 1961	April 1, 1965		John F. Kennedy
							Lyndon B. Johnson
58	File:HFowler2.jpg	Henry H. Fowler	Virginia	April 1, 1965	December 20, 1968
59	File:Joseph W Barr.jpg	Joseph W. Barr	Indiana	December 21, 1968	January 20, 1969
60	File:David M Kennedy.jpg	David M. Kennedy	Utah	January 22, 1969	February 10, 1971		Richard Nixon
61	File:Portrait of John Connally.jpg	John Connally	Texas	February 11, 1971	June 12, 1972
62	File:George Pratt Shultz.jpg	George P. Shultz	Illinois	June 12, 1972	May 8, 1974
63	File:William E Simon.jpg	William E. Simon	New Jersey	May 8, 1974	January 20, 1977
							Gerald Ford
64	File:Portrait of W. Michael Blumenthal.jpg	W. Michael Blumenthal	Michigan	January 23, 1977	August 4, 1979		Jimmy Carter
65	File:G. William Miller.jpg	G. William Miller	Rhode Island	August 7, 1979	January 20, 1981
66	File:Donaldtregan1.jpg	Donald Regan	New Jersey	January 22, 1981	February 1, 1985		Ronald Reagan
67	File:James A. Baker III, U.S. Secretary of State (2380044355).jpg	James Baker	Texas	February 4, 1985	August 17, 1988
–	File:M Peter McPherson at lectern in 1981 (cropped).jpg	M. Peter McPherson Acting	Michigan	August 17, 1988	September 15, 1988
68	File:Nicholas Frederick Brady.jpg	Nicholas F. Brady	New Jersey	September 15, 1988	January 17, 1993
							George H. W. Bush
69	File:LloydBentsen.jpg	Lloyd Bentsen	Texas	January 20, 1993	December 22, 1994		Bill Clinton
–		Frank N. Newman Acting	Massachusetts	December 22, 1994	January 11, 1995
70	File:Pr4262ls-treasury-rubin.jpg	Robert Rubin	New York	January 11, 1995	July 2, 1999
71	File:Lawrence Summers Treasury portrait.jpg	Lawrence Summers	Massachusetts	July 2, 1999	January 20, 2001
72	File:OneilllPaul.jpg	Paul H. O'Neill	Pennsylvania	January 20, 2001	December 31, 2002		George W. Bush
–	File:Kenneth Dam.jpg	Kenneth W. Dam Acting	Illinois	December 31, 2002	February 3, 2003
73	File:John W. Snow.jpg	John W. Snow	Virginia	February 3, 2003	June 30, 2006
–	File:Robert Kimmitt, official Treasury photo.jpg	Robert M. Kimmitt Acting	Virginia	June 30, 2006	July 10, 2006
74	File:Henry Paulson official Treasury photo, 2006.jpg	Henry Paulson	Illinois	July 10, 2006	January 20, 2009
–	File:Stuart Levey.jpg	Stuart A. Levey Acting	Ohio	January 20, 2009	January 26, 2009		Barack Obama
75	File:Timothy Geithner official portrait.jpg	Timothy Geithner	New York	January 26, 2009	January 25, 2013
–	File:Neal S. Wolin official portrait.jpg	Neal S. Wolin Acting	Illinois	January 25, 2013	February 28, 2013
76	File:Jacob Lew official portrait.jpg	Jack Lew	New York	February 28, 2013	January 20, 2017
–	File:Adam Szubin.jpg	Adam J. Szubin Acting	Washington, D.C.	January 20, 2017	February 13, 2017		Donald Trump
77	File:Steven Mnuchin official photo (cropped).jpg	Steven Mnuchin	California	February 13, 2017	January 20, 2021
–	File:Andy Baukol US Treasury Dept.jpg	Andy Baukol Acting	Virginia	January 20, 2021	January 25, 2021		Joe Biden
78	File:Secretary Janet Yellen portrait (cropped) 2.jpg	Janet Yellen	California	January 25, 2021	January 20, 2025
–	File:David Lebryk.jpg	David Lebryk Acting	Washington, D.C.	January 20, 2025	January 28, 2025		Donald Trump
79	File:Scott Bessent, official portrait (2025) (cropped).jpg	Scott Bessent	South Carolina	January 28, 2025	Incumbent

¹ William Jones served as acting secretary between the resignation of Alexander J. Dallas and appointment of William H. Crawford.

² Deputy Secretary of the Treasury M. Peter McPherson served as acting secretary of the treasury from August 17, 1988, to September 15, 1988.

³ Because of the resignation of Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Roger Altman in August 1994, Under Secretary of Treasury for Domestic Finance Frank N. Newman served from December 22, 1994, to January 11, 1995, as acting secretary of the treasury.

⁴ Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Kenneth W. Dam served as acting secretary of the treasury from December 31, 2002, to February 3, 2003.

⁵ Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert M. Kimmitt served as acting secretary of the treasury from June 30, 2006, to July 9, 2006.

⁶ Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart A. Levey served as acting secretary of the treasury from January 20, 2009, until the confirmation of Timothy Geithner, which occurred January 26, 2009.

⁷ Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal Wolin served as acting secretary of the treasury from January 25, 2013, until the confirmation of Jack Lew which occurred February 28, 2013.

⁸ Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam J. Szubin served as acting secretary of the treasury from January 20, 2017, until the confirmation of Steven Mnuchin which occurred February 13, 2017.

Acting Secretaries of the Treasury

• William Jones served as acting secretary between the resignation of Alexander J. Dallas and appointment of William H. Crawford.
• Because of the resignation of Deputy Secretary of Treasury Roger Altman in August 1994, Under Secretary of Treasury for Domestic Finance Frank Newman served from December 22, 1994 to January 11, 1995 as Acting Secretary of Treasury.
• Deputy Secretary of Treasury Kenneth W. Dam served as Acting Secretary of Treasury from December 31, 2002 to February 3, 2003.
• Deputy Secretary of Treasury Robert Kimmitt served as Acting Secretary of Treasury from June 30, 2006 to July 9, 2006.
• Deputy Secretary of Treasury Neal Wolin served as Acting Secretary of Treasury from January 25, 2013 to February 28, 2013.
• David Lebryk was serving as Acting Secretary of Treasury from January 20, 2025 until January 28, 2025

References

• "Secretaries of the Treasury". History of the Treasury. United States Department of the Treasury. Archived from the original on 2006-05-16. Retrieved 2006-04-09.