Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. As of 2007, there are four Assistant Secretaries of the Navy:
- Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition
- Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
- Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management and Comptroller
- Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment
Along with the General Counsel of the Department of the Navy, who is head of the Office of General Counsel, the four Assistant Secretaries of the Navy report to the Under Secretary of the Navy (the Navy's number-two civilian officer), who reports to the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV).
The Chief of Naval Research (CNR) reports to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy and is also the Commander of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) ONR ONR coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.
History
The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was established in 1861, to provide a senior deputy to the Secretary. The Assistant Secretary was responsible for the Navy's civilian personnel, as well as for administration of shore facilities (such as naval bases and shipyards). Gustavus Fox was the first to hold the post, serving throughout the Civil War. The office was disestablished in 1869, during Reconstruction, but was reestablished by Congress on July 11, 1890. James R. Soley was the first to be appointed to the newly reestablished position.
The Assistant Secretary was the Navy's number-two civilian until 1940, when Congress established the position of Under Secretary of the Navy, who was given oversight of the Assistant Secretary's activities. James V. Forrestal, later Secretary of Defense, was the first to serve as Under Secretary; he held the post until 1944, when he became Secretary of the Navy.
During the 20th century, the responsibilities of the Assistant Secretary were divided among several officials. During the 1920s, for example, to reflect the increasing importance of naval aviation, Congress established the position of Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air.
Famous Assistant Secretaries of the Navy
- U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1897-1898, during the William McKinley administration.
- Actually, according to author Edward J. Renehan, Jr., no less than five members of the extended Roosevelt clan served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy: Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. who served from 1921 through 1924 under Harding and Coolidge, Theodore Douglas Robinson (the son of Corinne Roosevelt) who served from 1924 through 1929 under Coolidge, and finally Henry Latrobe Roosevelt, a descendant of Robert Fulton's old friend "Steamboat Nicholas" Roosevelt, who served from 1933 through 1936 under FDR.[1]
Assistant Secretaries of the Navy, 1861-1954
Source: Naval Historical Center Roster List at [2]
- Gustavus Fox, 1 August 1861 - 26 November 1866
- William Faxon, 1 June 1866 - 3 March 1889
- James R. Soley, 18 July 1890 -1 9 March 1893
- William McAdoo, 20 March 1893 - 18 April 1897
- Theodore Roosevelt, 19 April 1897 - 10 May 1898
- Charles H. Allen, 11 May 1898 - 21 April 1900
- Frank W. Hackett, 24 April 1900 - 16 December 1901
- Charles H. Darling, 17 December 1901 - 30 October 1905
- Truman Handy Newberry, 1 November 1905 - 30 November 1908
- Herbert L. Satterlee, 3 December 1908 - 5 March 1909
- Beekman Winthrop, 6 March 1909 - 16 March 1913
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, 17 March 1913 - 26 August 1920
- Gordon Woodbury, 27 August 1920 - 9 March 1921
- Theodore D. Roosevelt, Jr., 10 March 1921 - 30 September 1924
- Theodore D. Robinson, 11 November 1924 - 4 March 1929
- Ernest L. Jahncke, 1 April 1929 - 17 March 1933
- Henry L. Roosevelt, 17 March 1933 - 22 February 1936
- Charles Edison, 18 January 1937 - 1 January 1940
- Lewis Compton, 9 February 1940 - 10 January 1941
- Ralph Austin Bard, 24 February 1941 - 24 June 1944
- H. Struve Hensel, 30 January 1945 - 28 February 1946
- John W. Kenney, 1 March 1946 - 19 September 1947
- Mark E. Andrews, 21 January 1948 - 15 February 1949
- John T. Koehler, 18 February 1949 - 3 October 1951
- Herbert R. Askins, 3 October 1951 - 20 January 1953
- Raymond H. Fogler, 22 June 1953 - 4 October 1954
See also
External links
|