Secretary to the President of the United States


The secretary to the president is a long-standing position in the United States government, known by many different titles during its history. In terms of rank, it was a precursor to the modern White House chief of staff until the creation of that position in 1946.
In the 19th- and early 20th-century it was a White House position that carried out all the tasks now spread throughout the modern White House Office. The Secretary would act as a buffer between the president and the public, keeping the president's schedules and appointments, managing his correspondence, managing the staff, communicating to the press as well as being a close aide and advisor to the president in a manner that often required great skill and discretion.
During the mid 20th century, the position became known as the "appointments secretary", the person who was the guardian of the president's time. He had the responsibility of acting as "gatekeeper" and decided who got to meet with him.
The modern-day position of the president's secretary is fulfilled by an administrative assistant or personal assistant in the White House Office Oval Office Operations department who has a desk directly outside the Oval Office.

History

During the nineteenth century, presidents had few staff resources. Thomas Jefferson had one messenger and one secretary at his disposal, both of whose salaries were paid by the president personally. In fact, all presidents up to James Buchanan paid the salaries of their private secretaries out of their own pockets; these roles were usually fulfilled by their relatives, most often their sons or nephews. James K. Polk notably had his wife take the role.
It was during Buchanan's term at the White House in 1857 that the United States Congress created a definite office named the "Private Secretary at the White House" and appropriated for its incumbent a salary of $2,500. The first man to hold such office officially and to be paid by the government instead of by the president, was Buchanan's nephew J. B. Henry. By Ulysses S. Grant's presidency, the White House staff had grown to three.
By 1900, the office had grown in such stature that Congress elevated the position to "Secretary to the President", in addition to including on the White House staff two assistant secretaries, two executive clerks, a stenographer, and seven other office personnel. The first man to hold the office of Secretary to the President was John Addison Porter whose failing health meant he was soon succeeded by George B. Cortelyou. Radio and the advent of media coverage soon meant that Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson too expanded the duties of their respective secretaries to dealing with reporters and giving daily press briefings.
At the time of its peak the Secretary to the President was a much admired government office held by men of high ability and considered as worthy as a cabinet rank; it even merited an oath of office. Three private secretaries were later appointed to the Cabinet: George B. Cortelyou, John Hay and Daniel S. Lamont.
Under Warren G. Harding, the size of the staff expanded to thirty-one, although most were clerical positions. During Herbert Hoover's presidency however, he tripled the staff adding two additional private secretaries added by Congress. The first Hoover designated his Legislative Secretary, the second his Confidential Secretary, and the third his Appointments and Press Secretary.
In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt converted Hoover's two extra secretaries into the permanent White House Press Secretary and Appointments Secretary, but from 1933 to 1939, as he greatly expanded the scope of the federal government's policies and powers in response to the Great Depression, Roosevelt relied on his "Brain Trust" of top advisers. Although working directly for the president, they were often appointed to vacant positions in agencies and departments, from whence they drew their salaries since the White House lacked statutory or budgetary authority to create new staff positions. It wasn't until 1939, during Franklin D. Roosevelt's second term in office, that the foundations of the modern White House staff were created using a formal structure. Roosevelt was able to get Congress to approve the creation of the Executive Office of the President reporting directly to the president, which included the White House Office. As a consequence, the office of Secretary to the President was greatly diminished in stature and had many of its duties supplanted by the Appointments Secretary.
The appointments secretary was the guardian of the president's time. He had the responsibility of acting as "gatekeeper" and decided who got to meet with him.
Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Arthur H. Vandenberg Jr. to the position, but he took a leave of absence before Eisenhower's inauguration and later withdrew without ever having served.
In 1946, in response to the rapid growth of the U.S. government's executive branch, the position of Assistant to the President of the United States was established, and charged with the affairs of the White House. Together with the Appointments Secretary the two took responsibility of most of the president's affairs and at this point the Secretary to the President was charged with nothing other than managing the president's official correspondence before the office was discontinued at the close of the Truman administration.
In 1961, under Republican President Eisenhower, the president's pre-eminent assistant was designated the White House Chief of Staff. Assistant to the President became a rank generally shared by the Chief of Staff with such senior aides as Deputy Chiefs of Staff, the White House Counsel, the White House Press Secretary, and others. This new system didn't catch on straight away. Democrats Kennedy and Johnson still relied on their appointments secretaries instead and it was not until the Nixon administration that the Chief of Staff became a permanent fixture in the White House, and the appointments secretary was reduced to only functional importance. The Appointments Secretary position was eliminated in 1981, with the responsibilities transferred to the recently created White House Deputy Chief of Staff position.
The prior role of Secretary to the President should not be confused with the modern president's personal secretary who is officially an administrative assistant in the Executive Office of the President. The role of personal secretary to the president should also not be confused with the List of personal aides to the president of [the United States|personal aide to the president].

List of presidential secretaries

Appointments Secretary

YearImageSecretaryPresident
1929–1931George E. AkersonHerbert Hoover
1931–1933Ted JoslinHerbert Hoover
1933–1938Marvin H. McIntyreFranklin D. Roosevelt
1938–1945Edwin "Pa" WatsonFranklin D. Roosevelt
1945–1953Matthew J. ConnellyFranklin D. Roosevelt
1945–1953Matthew J. ConnellyHarry S. Truman
1953Arthur H. Vandenberg Jr.
On leave		Dwight D. Eisenhower
1953–1955Thomas Stephens
Acting during Vandenberg's term		Dwight D. Eisenhower
1955–1957Bernard M. ShanleyDwight D. Eisenhower
1957–1958Bob GrayDwight D. Eisenhower
1958–1961Thomas StephensDwight D. Eisenhower
1961–1963Kenneth O'DonnellJohn F. Kennedy
1963–1965Jack ValentiLyndon B. Johnson
1965–1968W. Marvin WatsonLyndon B. Johnson
1968–1969James R. JonesLyndon B. Johnson
1969–1973Dwight ChapinRichard Nixon
1973–1974Stephen B. BullRichard Nixon
1974–1977Warren S. RustandGerald Ford
1977–1978Timothy KraftJimmy Carter
1978–1981Phil J. WiseJimmy Carter

Personal secretary to the president

YearImageSecretaryPresident
1933–1941Missy LeHandFranklin D. Roosevelt
1941–1945Grace TullyFranklin D. Roosevelt
1945–1953Rose ConwayHarry S. Truman
1953–1961Ann C. WhitmanDwight D. Eisenhower
1961–1963Evelyn LincolnJohn F. Kennedy
1963–1969Gerri WhittingtonLyndon B. Johnson
1969–1974Rose Mary WoodsRichard Nixon
1974–1977Dorothy E. DowntonGerald Ford
1977–1981Susan CloughJimmy Carter
1981–1989Kathleen OsborneRonald Reagan
1989–1993Linda CaseyGeorge H. W. Bush
1993–2001Betty CurrieBill Clinton
2001–2005Ashley Estes KavanaughGeorge W. Bush
2005–2009Karen E. KellerGeorge W. Bush
2009–2011Katie JohnsonBarack Obama
2011–2014Anita Decker BreckenridgeBarack Obama
2014–2017Ferial GovashiriBarack Obama
2017–2019Madeleine WesterhoutDonald Trump
2019–2021Molly A. MichaelDonald Trump
2021–2022Ashley WilliamsJoe Biden
2022–2024Julia ReedJoe Biden
2024–2025Drew RodriguezJoe Biden
2025–presentNatalie HarpDonald Trump