United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
| United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs |
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|---|---|
 Official Seal |
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| Formation | March 15, 1989 |
| Succession | Seventeenth |
| Website | www.va.gov |
The United States Secretary of Veterans' Affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department in charge of taking care of the affairs of war veterans. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and second to last at 17th in the line of succession to the presidency (the position was last until the United States Department of Homeland Security was added in 2006[1]). To date, all appointees and acting appointees to the post have been United States military veterans, but that is not a requirement to fill the position.
When the position of Secretary is vacant, the United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs[2] or another person picked by the President serves as Acting Secretary[2] until the President picks and the United States Senate confirms a new Secretary.
On December 8, 2008, President Barack Obama announced that he would pick retired army General Eric Shinseki to be the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on January 20, 2009.[3]
List of Secretaries of Veterans Affairs [change]
| No. | Name | Portrait | Term of Office | President(s) served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ed Derwinski |  |
March 15, 1989 – September 26, 1992 | George H. W. Bush |
| 2 | Jesse Brown |  |
January 22, 1993 – July 3, 1997 | Bill Clinton |
| 3 | Togo D. West, Jr. |  |
January 2, 19981 – July 25, 2000 | |
| - | Hershel W. Gober2 |  |
July 25, 2000 – January 20, 2001 | |
| 4 | Anthony Principi |  |
January 23, 2001 – January 26, 2005 | George W. Bush |
| 5 | Jim Nicholson |  |
January 26, 2005 – October 1, 2007 | |
| 6 | LT GEN (Ret.) James Peake |  |
December 20, 2007 – January 20, 2009 | |
| 7 | GEN (Ret.) Eric Ken Shinseki |  |
January 20, 2009 – present | Barack Obama |
^ West served as acting Secretary from January 2, 1998[4] to May 5, 1998.[5]
^ Acting secretary.[6]
Living former Secretaries of Veterans Affairs [change]
- Edward Joseph Derwinski
- Togo Dennis West, Jr.
- Anthony Joseph Principi
- Robert James Nicholson
- James Peake
References [change]
- ↑ Public Law 109-177§.503
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 : Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Accessed 2008-01-13.
- ↑ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hi6r-WMKkf2LwqPLQN0PhNMabNmgD95R59EG0
- ↑ White House (1997-12-02). "President Clinton Names Togo D. West, Jr. As Acting Secretary Of The Department Of Veterans' Affairs". Press release. http://clinton6.nara.gov/1997/12/1997-12-02-togo-west-named-acting-secretary-at-veterans-affairs.html. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
- ↑ Staff (May 1999). "The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr.". Department of Veterans Affairs. http://web.archive.org/web/20000304153405/www.va.gov/biographies/west.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
- ↑ Department of Veterans Affairs (2000-07-25). "Gober Takes Over Top Spot at VA". Press release. http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=203. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
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