United States Secretary of Energy

United States Secretary of Energy
Official Seal
Incumbent Steven Chu since January 21, 2009
Formation	August 6, 1977
Succession	Fifteenth
Website	www.doe.gov

The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the President's Cabinet, and fifteenth in the Presidential line of succession. The post was created with the formation of the Department of Energy on October 1, 1977 by President Jimmy Carter's signing of the Department of Energy Organization Act. The position was originally developed to focus on energy production and regulation. During the 1980s, the emphasis shifted to development of technology for better, more efficient energy sources as well as education regarding energy. As the Cold War ended, the department's efforts were more often devoted to nuclear waste disposal and maintenance of environmental quality.

List of Secretaries of Energy

The first Secretary of Energy, James Schlesinger

Hazel O'Leary, the first woman and African-American to hold the position

Spencer Abraham, Secretary from 2001 to 2005

#	Name	Portrait	Took Office	Left Office	President served under
1	James R. Schlesinger		August 6, 1977	August 23, 1979	Jimmy Carter
2	Charles W. Duncan, Jr.		August 24, 1979	January 20, 1981
3	James B. Edwards		January 23, 1981	November 5, 1982	Ronald Reagan
4	Donald Paul Hodel		November 5, 1982	February 7, 1985
5	John S. Herrington		February 7, 1985	January 20, 1989
6	James D. Watkins		March 1, 1989	January 20, 1993	George H. W. Bush
7	Hazel R. O'Leary		January 22, 1993	January 20, 1997	Bill Clinton
8	Federico Peña		March 12, 1997	June 30, 1998
9	Bill Richardson		August 18, 1998	January 20, 2001
10	Spencer Abraham		January 20, 2001	February 1, 2005	George W. Bush
11	Samuel Bodman		February 1, 2005	January 20, 2009
12	Steven Chu		January 21, 2009	Incumbent	Barack Obama
13					Barack Obama