Naval and Marine personnel informally refer to The Secretary of the Navy as "SECNAV".
The Secretary of the Navy is responsible for, and has the authority under Title 10 of the United States Code, to conduct all the affairs of the Department of the Navy, including: recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training, mobilizing, and demobilizing. The Secretary also oversees the construction, outfitting, and repair of naval ships, equipment and facilities. SECNAV is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies and programs that are consistent with the national security policies and objectives established by the President and the Secretary of Defense. The Department of the Navy consists of two uniformed Services: the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.
Secretaries of the Navy (Cabinet)
| Name | Term of Office | Served under |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Stoddert | June 18, 1798 - March 31, 1801 | J. Adams |
| Robert Smith | July 27, 1801 - March 4, 1809 | Jefferson |
| Paul Hamilton | May 15, 1809 - December 31, 1812 | Madison |
| William Jones | January 19, 1813 - December 1, 1814 | Madison |
| Benjamin W. Crowninshield | January 16, 1815 - September 30, 1818 | Madison, Monroe |
| Smith Thompson | January 1, 1819 - August 31, 1823 | Monroe |
| Samuel L. Southard | September 16, 1823 - March 4, 1829 | Monroe, J.Q. Adams |
| John Branch | March 9, 1829 - May 12, 1831 | Jackson |
| Levi Woodbury | May 23, 1823 - June 30, 1834 | Jackson |
| Mahlon Dickerson | July 1, 1834 - June 30, 1838 | Jackson, Van Buren |
| James K. Paulding | July 1, 1838 - March 4, 1841 | Van Buren |
| George E. Badger | March 6, 1841 - September 11, 1841 | W.H. Harrison, Tyler |
| Abel P. Upshur | October 11, 1841 - July 23, 1843 | Tyler |
| David Henshaw (acting) | July 24, 1843 - February 18, 1844 | Tyler |
| Thomas W. Gilmer | February 19, 1844 - February 28, 1844 | Tyler |
| John Y. Mason (first time) | March 26, 1844 - March 4, 1845 | Tyler |
| George Bancroft | March 11, 1845 - September 9, 1846 | Polk |
| John Y. Mason (second time) | September 10, 1846 - March 4, 1849 | Polk |
| William B. Preston | March 8, 1849 - July 22, 1850 | Taylor |
| William A. Graham | August 2, 1850 - July 25, 1852 | Fillmore |
| John P. Kennedy | July 26, 1852 - March 4, 1853 | Fillmore |
| James C. Dobbin | March 8, 1853 - March 4, 1857 | Pierce |
| Isaac Toucey | March 7, 1857 - March 4, 1861 | Buchanan |
| Gideon Welles | March 7, 1861 - March 4, 1869 | Lincoln, A. Johnson |
| Adolph E. Borie | March 9, 1869 - June 25, 1869 | Grant |
| George M. Robeson | June 26, 1869 - March 4, 1877 | Grant |
| Richard W. Thompson | March 13, 1877 - December 20, 1880 | Hayes |
| Nathan Goff, Jr | January 7, 1881 - March 4, 1881 | Hayes |
| William H. Hunt | March 7, 1881 - April 16, 1882 | Garfield, Arthur |
| William E. Chandler | April 16, 1882 - March 4, 1885 | Arthur |
| William C. Whitney | March 7, 1885 - March 4, 1889 | Cleveland |
| Benjamin F. Tracy | March 6, 1889 - March 4, 1893 | B. Harrison |
| Hilary A. Herbert | March 7, 1893 - March 4, 1897 | Cleveland |
| John D. Long | March 6, 1897 - April 30, 1902 | McKinley, T. Roosevelt |
| William H. Moody | May 1, 1902 - June 30, 1904 | T. Roosevelt |
| Paul Morton | July 1, 1904 - June 30, 1905 | T. Roosevelt |
| Charles J. Bonaparte | July 1, 1905 - December 16, 1906 | T. Roosevelt |
| Victor H. Metcalf | December 17, 1906 - November 30, 1908 | T. Roosevelt |
| Truman Handy Newberry | December 1, 1908 - March 4, 1909 | T. Roosevelt |
| George von Lengerke Meyer | March 6, 1909 - March 4, 1913 | Taft |
| Josephus Daniels | March 5, 1913 - March 4, 1921 | Wilson |
| Edwin C. Denby | March 6, 1921 - March 10, 1924 | Harding, Coolidge |
| Curtis D. Wilbur | March 19, 1924 - March 4, 1929 | Coolidge |
| Charles Francis Adams | March 5, 1929 - March 4, 1933 | Hoover |
| Claude A. Swanson | March 4, 1933 - July 7, 1939 | F.D. Roosevelt |
| Charles Edison | January 2, 1940 - June 24, 1940 | F.D. Roosevelt |
| Frank Knox | July 11, 1940 - April 28, 1944 | F.D. Roosevelt |
| James V. Forrestal | May 19, 1944 - September 17, 1947 | F.D. Roosevelt, Truman |
Secretaries of the Navy (Department of Defense)
| Name | Term of Office |
|---|---|
| John L. Sullivan | September 18, 1947 - May 24, 1949
|
| Francis P. Matthews | May 25, 1949 - July 31, 1951
|
| Dan A. Kimball | July 31, 1951 - January 20, 1953 |
| Robert B. Anderson | February 4, 1953 - March 3, 1954 |
| Charles S. Thomas | May 3, 1954 - April 1, 1957 |
| Thomas S. Gates | April 1, 1957 - June 8, 1959 |
| William B.Franke | June 8, 1959 - January 19, 1961 |
| John B. Connally, Jr | January 25, 1961 - December 20, 1961 |
| Fred Korth | January 4, 1962 - November 1, 1963 |
| Paul B. Fay (acting) | November 2, 1963 - November 28, 1963 |
| Paul H. Nitze | November 29, 1963 - June 30, 1967 |
| Charles F. Baird (acting) | July 1, 1967 - August 31, 1967 |
| Paul R. Ignatius | September 1, 1967 - January 24, 1969 |
| John H. Chafee | January 31, 1969 - May 4, 1972 |
| John W. Warner | May 4, 1972 - April 8, 1974 |
| J. William Middendorf | April 8, 1974 - January 20, 1977 |
| W. Graham Claytor, Jr | February 14, 1977 - August 24, 1979 |
| Edward Hidalgo | October 24, 1979 - January 20, 1981 |
| John Lehman | February 5, 1981 - April 10, 1987 |
| James H. Webb | May 1, 1987 - February 23, 1988 |
| William L. Ball | March 28, 1988 - May 15, 1989 |
| Henry L. Garrett III | May 15, 1989 - June 26, 1992 |
| Daniel Howard (acting) | June 26, 1992 - July 7, 1992 |
| Sean O'Keefe | October 2, 1992 - January 20, 1993 |
| Admiral Frank B. Kelso, II (acting) | January 2, 1993 - July 21, 1993 |
| John H. Dalton | July 22, 1993 - November 16, 1998 |
| Richard Danzig | November 16, 1998 - January 20, 2001 |
| Robert B. Pirie, Jr (acting) | January 20, 2001 - May 24, 2001 |
| Gordon R. England | May 24, 2001 - January 30, 2003 |
| Susan Livingstone (acting) | January 30, 2003 - February 7, 2003 |
| Hansford T. Johnson (acting) | February 7, 2003 - present |