President Harry S. Truman's Cabinet

Terms of Office (1945 - 1953)

PRESIDENT HARRY S. TRUMAN'S CABINET
TERMS OF OFFICE
1945 - 1953

Department of Agriculture (USDA)

SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF:

• 09/40 (held over from FDR): Wickard, Claude R. (Raymond) [1893-1967]
  resigned 04/17/45, effective 06/30/45
• 06/30/45 (sworn in): Anderson, Clinton P. (Presba) [1895-1975]
  nominated 05/23/45
  confirmed 06/01/45
  resigned 05/07/48, effective 05/10/48
   
• 06/02/48 (sworn in): Brannan, Charles F. (Franklin) [1903-1992]
  nominated 05/24/48
  confirmed 05/28/48
  served until 01/20/53
   

 

Department of the Air Force (USAF)

SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE:

• 09/18/47 (sworn in): Symington, (William) Stuart [1901-1988]
  nominated 08/21/47 (recess appointment)
  confirmed 12/08/47
  served until sworn in as Chairman of the National Security Resources Board 04/24/50 (appointed 03/30/50)
   
• 04/24/50 (sworn in): Finletter, Thomas K. (Knight) [1893-1980]
  nominated 04/05/50
  confirmed 04/13/50
  served until 01/20/53
   

Department of the Army (USA)

SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE:

• 8/21/47 (appointed): Royall, Kenneth C. (Claiborne) [1894-1971]
  resigned 04/01/49, effective 04/27/49
   
• 06/20/49 (sworn in): Gray, Gordon [1909-1982]
  nominated 06/07/49
  confirmed 06/13/49
  resigned 02/06/50, effective 04/13/50 (in order to become President of the University of North Carolina)
   
• 04/13/50 (sworn in): Pace, Frank C. Jr. [1912-1988]
  nominated 03/30/50
  confirmed 04/10/50
  served until 01/20/53
   

 

Department of Commerce (DOC)

SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF:

• 03/02/45 (held over from FDR): Wallace, Henry A. (Agard)[1888-1965]
  asked to resign by President Truman 09/20/46, effective 09/20/46
   
• 10/07/46 (sworn in): Harriman, W. (William) Averell [1891-1986]
  nominated 09/22/46 (recess appointment)
  confirmed 01/27/47
  resigned 04/22/48, effective 04/22/48
  
   
• 05/06/48 (sworn in): Sawyer, Charles [1887-1979]
  nominated 04/22/48
  confirmed 05/05/48
  served until 01/20/53
  
   

Department of Defense (DOD)

SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF:

• 09/17/47 (sworn in): Forrestal, James V. (Vincent) [1892-1949]
  nominated 07/26/47
  confirmed 07/26/47
  resigned 03/03/49, effective 03/31/49
   
• 03/28/49 (sworn in): Johnson, Louis A. (Arthur) [1891-1966]
  nominated 03/03/49
  confirmed 03/23/49
  resigned 09/12/50, effective 09/19/50
  
   
• 09/21/50 (sworn in): Marshall, George C. (Catlett), Jr. [1880-1959]
  nominated 09/18/50
  confirmed 09/20/50
  resigned 09/12/51, effective 09/12/51
  
   
• 09/17/51 (sworn in): Lovett, Robert A. (Abercrombie) [1895-1986]
  nominated 09/12/51
  confirmed 09/14/51
  served until 01/20/53

Department of the Interior (DOI)

SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE:

• 03/04/33 (held over from FDR): Ickes, Harold L. (LeClair) [1874-1952]
  resigned 02/12/46, effective 02/15/46
  
   
• 03/15/46 (sworn in): Krug, Julius A. (Albert) [1907-1970]
  nominated 02/26/46
  confirmed 03/05/46
  resigned 11/10/49, effective 12/01/49
  
  
   
• 12/01/49 (sworn in): Chapman, Oscar L. (Littleton) [1896-1978]
  nominated 11/11/49
  confirmed 01/18/50
  served until 01/20/53
   

Department of Justice (DOJ)

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF:

• 09/05/41 (held over from FDR): Biddle, Francis B. (Beverley) [1886-1968]
  resigned 05/21/45, effective 06/30/45
   
• 06/30/45 (sworn in): Clark, Tom C. (Campbell) [1899-1977]
  nominated 05/23/45
  served until sworn in as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court 08/24/49
  
   
• 08/24/49 (sworn in): McGrath, J. (James) Howard [1903-1966]
  nominated 07/28/49
  confirmed 08/18/49
  resigned 04/03/52, effective 04/07/52
   
• 05/27/52 (sworn in): McGranery, James P. (Patrick) [1895-1962]
  nominated 04/03/52
  confirmed 05/20/52
  served until 01/20/53
  
   

Department of Labor (DOL)

SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF:

• 03/04/33 (held over from FDR): Perkins, Frances [1880-1965]
  resigned 05/23/45, effective 06/30/45
   
• 06/30/45 (sworn in): Schwellenbach, Lewis B. (Baxter) [1894-1948]
  nominated 05/23/45
  confirmed 05/31/45
  died in office 06/10/48
  
   
• 08/13/48 (sworn in): Tobin, Maurice J. (Joseph) [1901-1953]
  nominated 08/07/48
  confirmed 01/31/49
  served until 01/20/53
   

Department of the Navy (USN)

SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE:

• 03/19/44 (held over from FDR): Forrestal, James V. (Vincent) [1892-1949]
  served until appointed Secretary of Defense 09/17/47
  
   
• 09/18/47 (sworn in): Sullivan, John L. (Lawrence) [1899-1982]
  nominated 11/24/47
  confirmed 12/08/47
  resigned 04/26/49, effective 05/25/49
   
• 05/25/49 (sworn in): Matthews, Francis P. (Patrick) [1887-1952]
  nominated 05/13/49
  confirmed 05/19/49
  resigned 07/26/51, effective 07/31/51
   
• 07/31/51 (sworn in): Kimball, Dan A. (Able) [1896-1970]
  nominated 06/28/51
  confirmed 07/27/51
  served until 01/20/53
   

See: United States Postal Service (USPS)

POSTMASTER GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE:

• 09/11/40 (held over from FDR): Walker, Frank C. (Comerford) [1886-1959]
  resigned 05/02/45, effective 06/30/45
  
   
• 06/30/45 (sworn in): Hannegan, Robert E. (Emmet) [1903-1949]
  nominated 05/02/45
  confirmed 05/07/45
  resigned 11/24/47, effective 12/01/47
   
• 12/16/47 (sworn in): Donaldson, Jesse M. (Monroe) [1885-1970]
  nominated 11/24/47
  confirmed 12/15/47, reconfirmed 02/07/49 (the Postmaster General serves for only one presidential term, as distinguished from the other Cabinet officers who serve at the will of the President, and thus was required to be confirmed by the Senate each presidential term)
  served until 01/20/53
   

Department of State (DOS)

SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF:

• 12/01/44 (held over from FDR): Stettinius, Edward R. (Reilly) Jr. [1900-1949]
  resigned 06/27/45
  
   
• 07/03/45 (sworn in): Byrnes, James F. (Francis) [1879-1972]
  nominated 06/30/45
  confirmed 07/02/45
  resigned 12/19/46, effective 01/21/47
• 01/21/47 (sworn in): Marshall, George C. (Catlett), Jr. [1880-1959]
  nominated 01/07/47
  confirmed 01/08/47
  resigned 01/07/49, effective 01/20/49
   
• 01/21/49 (sworn in): Acheson, Dean G. (Gooderham) [1893-1971]
  nominated 01/07/49
  confirmed 01/18/49
  served until 01/20/53
   

Department of the Treasury

 

SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE:

• 01/01/34 (held over from FDR): Morgenthau, Henry Jr. [1891-1967]
  resigned 07/05/45, effective 07/21/45
   
• 07/17/45 (sworn in): Vinson, Fred(erick) M. (Moore) [1890-1953]
  nominated 07/06/45
  confirmed 07/17/45
  served until sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court 06/25/46 (appointed 06/06/46)
  
   
• 06/25/46 (sworn in): Snyder, John W. (Wesley) [1895-1985]
  nominated 06/06/46
  confirmed 06/11/46
  served until 01/20/53
  
   

See: Department of Defense (DOD)

SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF:

• 07/10/40 (held over from FDR): Stimson, Henry L. (Lewis) [1867-1950]
  resigned 09/18/45, effective 09/21/45
  
   
• 09/27/45 (sworn in): Patterson, Robert P. (Porter) [1891-1952]
  nominated 09/18/45
  confirmed 09/21/45
  resigned 07/18/47, effective 07/24/47
   
  • See: Personal Papers at Library of Congress, Manuscript Division
• 07/24/47 (sworn in): Royall, Kenneth C. (Claiborne) [1894-1971]
  nominated 07/18/47
  confirmed 07/19/47
  served until appointed Secretary of the Army 08/21/47 (the department was integrated into the Department of Defense in 1947)