Until 1947, the Secretary of the Navy was a Cabinet-level position. This secretary was appointed by the president with the Senate's approval. Since passage of the National Security Act of 1947, the secretary heads the Navy Department under the supervision of the Secretary of Defense. He or she ranks equally with the secretaries of the Army and Air Force. The secretary has general responsibility for all naval affairs. His or her main civilian aides include an undersecretary, assistant secretaries and a special assistant. The Secretary of the Navy is responsible for all the affairs of the Department of the Navy, including recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training, mobilizing, and demobilizing. The secretary also oversees the construction, outfitting and repair of naval ships, equipment and facilities. He or she is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies and programs that are consistent with the national security policies and objectives established by the President and the Secretary of Defense. The Department of the Navy consists of two uniformed services: the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Term of Service Secretary Home State Administration 1798 - 1801 Benjamin Stoddert Maryland John Adams 1801 Benjamin Stoddert Maryland Jefferson 1801 - 1809 Robert Smith Maryland Jefferson 1809 - 1813 Paul Hamilton South Carolina Madison 1813 - 1814 William Jones Pennsylvania Madison 1814 - 1817 B. W. Crowninshield Massachusetts Madison 1817 - 1818 B. W. Crowninshield Massachusetts Monroe 1818 - 1823 Smith Thompson New York Monroe 1823 - 1825 Samuel Southard New Jersey Monroe 1825 - 1829 Samuel Southard New Jersey J. Q. Adams 1829 - 1831 John Branch North Carolina Jackson 1831 - 1834 Levi Woodbury New Hampshire Jackson 1834 - 1837 Mahlon Dickerson New Jersey Jackson 1837 - 1838 Mahlon Dickerson New Jersey Van Buren 1838 - 1841 James K. Paulding New York Van Buren 1841 George E. Badger North Carolina W. H. Harrison 1841 George E. Badger North Carolina Tyler 1841 - 1843 Abel P. Upshur Virginia Tyler 1843 - 1844 David Henshaw Massachusetts Tyler 1844 Thomas W. Gilmer Virginia Tyler 1844 - 1845 John Y. Mason Virginia Tyler 1845 - 1846 George Bancroft Maryland Polk 1846 - 1849 John Y. Mason Virginia Polk 1849 - 1850 William B. Preston Virginia Taylor 1850 - 1852 William A. Graham North Carolina Fillmore 1852 - 1853 John P. Kennedy Massachusetts Fillmore 1853 - 1857 James C. Dobbin North Carolina Pierce 1857 - 1861 Isaac Toucey Connecticut Buchanan 1861 - 1865 Gideon Welles Connecticut Lincoln 1865 - 1869 Gideon Welles Connecticut A. Johnson 1869 Adolph E. Borie Pennsylvania Grant 1869 - 1877 George M. Robeson New Jersey Grant 1877 - 1881 Richard W. Thompson Indiana Hayes 1881 Nathan Goff Jr. West Virginia Hayes 1881 - 1882 William H. Hunt Louisiana Garfield 1882 - 1885 William E. Chandler New Hampshire Arthur 1885 - 1889 William C. Whitney New York Cleveland 1889 - 1893 Benjamin F. Tracy New York B. Harrison 1893 - 1897 Hilary A. Herbert Alabama Cleveland 1897 - 1901 John D. Long Massachusetts McKinley 1901 - 1902 John D. Long Massachusetts T. Roosevelt 1902 - 1904 William H. Moody Massachusetts T. Roosevelt 1904 - 1905 Paul Morton Illinois T. Roosevelt 1905 - 1906 Charles J. Bonaparte Maryland T. Roosevelt 1906 - 1908 Victor H. Metcalf California T. Roosevelt 1908 - 1909 Truman H. Newberry Michigan T. Roosevelt 1909 - 1913 George V.L. Meyer Massachusetts Taft 1913 - 1921 Josephus Daniels North Carolina Wilson 1921 - 1923 Edwin Denby Michigan Harding 1923 - 1924 Edwin Denby Michigan Coolidge 1924 - 1929 Curtis D. Wilbur California Coolidge 1929 - 1933 Charles Francis Adams Massachusetts Hoover 1933 - 1940 Claude A. Swanson Virginia F.D. Roosevelt 1940 Charles Edison New Jersey F.D. Roosevelt 1940 - 1944 Frank Knox Illinois F.D. Roosevelt 1944 - 1945 James V. Forrestal New York F.D. Roosevelt 1945 James V. Forrestal New York Truman