About Quizzes

Secretaries of Agriculture

As early as 1796, President Washington called on Congress to establish a national board of agriculture. Although the bill was considered in that session, it never reached a vote and it would be another 40 years before agriculture would be represented by a federal agency. From 1836 to 1862, agricultural interests were promoted by the Patent Office. Commissioner Henry Leavitt Ellsworth helped lay the foundation for the subsequent Department of Agriculture through his work. Largely through efforts by the U.S. Agricultural Society in the 1850's, a law was passed in 1862 establishing the Department of Agriculture with Isaac Newton as its first commissioner. In 1884, the Bureau of Animal Industry was created and six years later the Weather Bureau was transferred from the War Department. Only in 1889 did the Department achieve cabin status, after a long campaign on its behalf by the National Grange. The Department of Agriculture's mission is to enhance the quality of life for the American people by supporting production of agriculture, to

  • ensure a safe, affordable, nutritious and accessible food supply
  • care for agricultural, forest and range lands
  • support sound development of rural communities
  • provide economic opportunities for farm and rural residents
  • expand global markets for agricultural and forest products and services
  • and work to reduce hunger in America and throughout the world.
The Secretary of Agriculture is appointed by the president with the approval of the Senate. The undersecretary is the secretary's assistant and serves as acting secretary in his or her absence. The staff also includes assistant secretaries and service directors.
Term of Service
 Secretary Home State Administration
1889
 Norman J. Coleman Missouri Cleveland
1889 - 1893
 Jeremiah M. Rusk Wisconsin B. Harrison
1893 - 1897
 J. Sterling Morton Nebraska Cleveland
1897 - 1901
 James Wilson Iowa McKinley
1901 - 1909
 James Wilson Iowa T. Roosevelt
1909 - 1913
 James Wilson Iowa Taft
1913 - 1920
 David F. Houston Missouri Wilson
1920 - 1921
 Edwin T. Meredith Iowa Wilson
1921 - 1923
 Henry C. Wallace Iowa Harding
1923 - 1924
 Henry C. Wallace Iowa Coolidge
1924 - 1925
 Howard M. Gore West Virginia Coolidge
1925 - 1929
 William M. Jardine Kansas Coolidge
1929 - 1933
 Arthur M. Hyde Missouri Hoover
1933 - 1940
 Henry A. Wallace Iowa F.D. Roosevelt
1940 - 1945
 Claude R. Wickard Indiana F.D. Roosevelt
1945 - 1948
 Clinton P. Anderson New Mexico Truman
1948 - 1953
 Charles F. Brannan Colorado Truman
1953 - 1961
 Ezra Taft Benson Utah Eisenhower
1961 - 1963
 Orville L. Freeman Minnesota Kennedy
1963 - 1969
 Orville L. Freeman Minnesota L.B. Johnson
1969 - 1974
 Clifford M. Hardin Indiana Nixon
1974
 Earl L. Butz Indiana Nixon
1974 - 1976
 Earl L. Butz Indiana Ford
1976 - 1977
 John A. Knebel Virginia Ford
1977 - 1981
 Bob Bergland Minnesota Carter
1981 - 1986
 John R. Block Illinois Reagan
1986 - 1989
 Richard E. Lyng California Reagan
1989 - 1991
 Clayton K. Yeutter Nebraska G.H.W. Bush
1991 - 1993
 Edward Madigan Illinois G.H.W. Bush
1993 - 1995
 Mike Espy Mississippi Clinton
1995 - 2001
 Dan Glickman Kansas Clinton
2001 - 2005
 Ann M. Veneman California G.W. Bush
2005 - 2007
 Mike Johanns Nebraska G.W. Bush
2008 - 2009
 Ed Schafer North Dakota G.W. Bush
2009 - 2017
 Tom Vilsack Iowa Obama
2017 - 2021
 Sonny Perdue Georgia Trump
2021 - present
 Tom Vilsack Iowa Biden

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