| Post: | United States Secretary |
| Body: | the Treasury |
| Flag: | Flag of the United States Secretary of the Treasury.svg |
| Flagborder: | yes |
| Flagsize: | 130 |
| Flagcaption: | Flag of the secretary |
| Insignia: | Seal of the United States Department of the Treasury.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 120 |
| Insigniacaption: | Seal of the Department of the Treasury |
| Incumbent: | Scott Bessent |
| Incumbentsince: | January 28, 2025 |
| Acting: | n |
| Department: | Department of the Treasury |
| Style: | Mr. Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal) |
| Member Of: | Cabinet National Security Council |
| Seat: | Treasury Building Washington, D.C. |
| Appointer Qualified: | Senate Advice and consent |
| Termlength: | No fixed term |
| Precursor: | Superintendent of Finance |
| First: | Alexander Hamilton |
| Succession: | Fifth |
| Url: | https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/3/19 |
| 3 U.S. Code § 19 – Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act | |
| Website: | LII / Legal Information Institute |
| Access-Date: | February 4, 2017 |
| Archive-Date: | December 26, 2018 |
| Archive-Url: | https://web.archive.org/web/20181226123834/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/3/19 |
| Url-Status: | live |
The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters pertaining to economic and fiscal policy. The secretary is, by custom, a member of the president's cabinet and, by law, a member of the National Security Council, and fifth in the U.S. presidential line of succession.
Under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution, the officeholder is nominated by the president of the United States, and, following a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Finance, will take the office if confirmed by the majority of the full United States Senate.
The secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, the secretary of defense, and the attorney general are generally regarded as the four most important Cabinet officials, due to the size and importance of their respective departments.[1]
The secretary along with the treasurer of the United States must sign Federal Reserve notes before they can become legal tender.[2] The secretary also manages the United States Emergency Economic Stabilization fund.
The secretary of the treasury is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule,[3]
The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters pertaining to economic and fiscal policy. The secretary is, by custom, a member of the president's cabinet and, by law, a member of the National Security Council.
Under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution, the officeholder is nominated by the president of the United States, and, following a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Finance, is confirmed by the United States Senate.
Status
| No. | class=unsortable | Portrait | Name | State of residence | Took office | Left office | President(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | (1789–1797) | |||||||
| Connecticut | ||||||||
(1797–1801) | ||||||||
| Massachusetts | ||||||||
(1801–1809) | ||||||||
| Pennsylvania | (1809–1817) | |||||||
| Tennessee | ||||||||
| Pennsylvania | ||||||||
| – | Pennsylvania | |||||||
| Georgia | ||||||||
(1817–1825) | ||||||||
| Pennsylvania | (1825–1829) | |||||||
| Pennsylvania | (1829–1837) | |||||||
| Delaware | ||||||||
| Pennsylvania | ||||||||
| Maryland | ||||||||
| New Hampshire | ||||||||
(1837–1841) | ||||||||
| 14 | Ohio | (1841) | ||||||
(1841–1845) | ||||||||
| 15 | Pennsylvania | |||||||
| 16 | New York | |||||||
| Kentucky | ||||||||
| Mississippi | (1845–1849) | |||||||
| 19 | Pennsylvania | (1849–1850) | ||||||
| 20 | Ohio | (1850–1853) | ||||||
| Kentucky | (1853–1857) | |||||||
| Georgia | (1857–1861) | |||||||
| Maryland | ||||||||
| New York | ||||||||
| Ohio | (1861–1865) | |||||||
| Maine | ||||||||
| Indiana | ||||||||
(1865–1869) | ||||||||
| Massachusetts | (1869–1877) | |||||||
| Massachusetts | ||||||||
| Kentucky | ||||||||
| Maine | ||||||||
| Ohio | (1877–1881) | |||||||
| Minnesota | (1881) | |||||||
(1881–1885) | ||||||||
| New York | ||||||||
| Indiana | ||||||||
| Indiana | ||||||||