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United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, concerned with health matters. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet.
In 1979, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Education. The final Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare was Patricia Roberts Harris, who was also the first Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The duties of the secretary revolve around human conditions and concerns in the United States. This includes advising the President on matters of health, welfare, and income security programs. It strives to administer the department of Health and Human Services to carry out approved programs and make the public aware of the objectives of the department. [1] After the attacks of 9/11 and the subsequent anthrax attacks, the position has held a unique significance in the war on terrorism. Upon his departure, Tommy Thompson, the first secretary since the installation of the war on terrorism remarked, "I, for the life of me, cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply, because it is so easy to do..." Scholars concur, arguing that an attack on food particularly milk could effect approximately 100,000 people. This leaves a large amount of responsibility to the position in the age of protecting humans in all ways possible. [2]
| No. | Name | Portrait | Took Office | Left Office | President served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patricia Roberts Harris |  |
August 3, 1979 | January 20, 1981 | Jimmy Carter |
| 2 | Richard Schultz Schweiker |  |
January 22, 1981 | February 3, 1983 | Ronald Reagan |
| 3 | Margaret Mary O'Shaughnessy Heckler |  |
March 9, 1983 | December 13, 1985 | Ronald Reagan |
| 4 | Otis Ray Bowen |  |
December 13, 1985 | January 20, 1989 | Ronald Reagan |
| 5 | Louis Wade Sullivan | March 1, 1989 | January 20, 1993 | George H. W. Bush | |
| 6 | Donna Edna Shalala |  |
January 22, 1993 | January 20, 2001 | Bill Clinton |
| 7 | Tommy George Thompson |  |
February 2, 2001 | January 26, 2005 | George W. Bush |
| 8 | Michael Okerlund Leavitt |  |
January 26, 2005 | Present | George W. Bush |
- General
- United States Department of Health and Human Services Official Website
- Department Of Health And Human Services Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register RSS Feed
- Specific
- ^ The President's Cabinet. Ben's Guide (2007-02-01). Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
- ^ Cox, Simon. "US food supply 'vulnerable to attack'", BBC News, 2006-08-22. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
- ^ Patricia Roberts Harris Biography (1924-1985). A&E. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
- ^ SCHWEIKER, Richard Schultz, (1926 - ). United States Congress. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
- ^ Indiana Governor Otis R. Bowen (b. 1918). Indiana Historical Bureau. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
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| Agriculture • Commerce • Defense • Education • Energy • Health and Human Services • Homeland Security • Housing and Urban Development • Interior • Justice • Labor • State • Transportation • Treasury • Veterans Affairs
Past department leaders: Commerce and Labor • Health, Education, and Welfare • Navy • Post Office • War |