Which women have served the longest in the United States cabinet? Cabinet officers are important government officials under the Constitution and are part of the executive branch. They are in the line of succession the presidency. Of the women who have served in these offices, whose time in office has been the longest?
As of 2013, the top 4 are:
|
Secretary |
Position |
Served From |
Served To |
Years |
|
Secretary of Labor |
March 4, 1933 |
June 30, 1945 |
12.3 |
|
|
Elaine Chao |
Secretary of Labor |
January 20, 2001 |
January 20, 2009 |
8.0 |
|
Donna Shalala |
Secretary of Health & Human Services |
January 22, 1993 |
January 20, 2001 |
8.0 |
|
Attorney General |
March 11, 1993 |
January 20, 2001 |
7.9 |
Who is in the number five spot?
If you are counting time in a single cabinet position, the fifth is Gale Norton. If you are counting total time in cabinet positions, combining two different offices held at different times, the fifth is Elizabeth Dole.
|
Secretary |
Position |
Served From |
Served To |
Years |
|
Gale Norton |
Secretary of the Interior |
January 31, 2001 |
March 31, 2006 |
5.2 |
|
Secretary of Transportation Secretary of Labor |
February 7, 1983 January 25, 1989 |
September 30, 1987 November 23, 1990 |
4.6 1.8 |
After 2013?
Kathleen Sibelius will surpass Elizabeth Dole’s total cabinet time if she is still a cabinet official on October 17, 2015, with no break in service. She will surpass Gale Norton’s time in a single cabinet office if she is still Secretary of Health and Human Services, with no break in service, on June 26, 2014. She would only surpass Janet Reno if she continued to serve past January, 2017.
|
Secretary |
Position |
Served From |
|
Kathleen Sebelius |
Secretary of Health and Human Services |
April 28, 2009 |
