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.

The first Secretary of Energy was former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger, a Republican nominated to the post by Democratic President Jimmy Carter, the only time a president has appointed someone of another party to the post. Schlesinger was also the only secretary to be dismissed from the post. Bill Clinton's first Secretary of Energy, Hazel R. O'Leary, was the longest to hold the position, as well as its first female and African-American holder. Clinton also named Federico Peña to the post, the first Hispanic to hold the position. Bill Richardson, who succeeded Peña, was the second Hispanic to hold the position and later became Governor of New Mexico. The current secretary, Samuel W. Bodman, has held the post since February 1, 2005.

List of Secretaries of Energy

Secretaries of Energy

#	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	Jimmy Carter
3	James B. Edwards		January 23, 1981	November 5, 1982	Ronald Reagan
4	Donald Paul Hodel		November 5, 1982	February 7, 1985	Ronald Reagan
5	John S. Herrington		February 7, 1985	January 20, 1989	Ronald Reagan
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	Bill Clinton
9	Bill Richardson		August 18, 1998	January 20, 2001	Bill Clinton
10	Spencer Abraham		January 20, 2001	February 1, 2005	George W. Bush
11	Samuel W. Bodman		February 1, 2005	Present	George W. Bush

References

General

• Official site of U.S. Department of Energy. U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved on 2007-08-13..
• Secretaries of Energy. U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved on 2007-08-13..Specific