Secretaries of Defense
| Name |
Term of Office |
President(s) served under |
|---|
| James V. Forrestal |
September 17, 1947 - March 28, 1949 |
Harry S. Truman |
| Louis A. Johnson |
March 28, 1949 - September 19, 1950 |
Harry S. Truman |
| George C. Marshall |
September 21, 1950 - September 12, 1951 |
Harry S. Truman |
| Robert A. Lovett[?] |
September 17, 1951 - January 20, 1953 |
Harry S. Truman |
| Charles E. Wilson[?] |
January 28, 1953 - October 8, 1957 |
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Neil H. McElroy[?] |
October 9, 1957 - December 1, 1959 |
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Thomas S. Gates[?] |
December 2, 1959 - January 20, 1961 |
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Robert McNamara |
January 21, 1961 - February 29, 1968 |
John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson |
| Clark Clifford |
March 1, 1968- January 20, 1969 |
Lyndon Johnson |
| Melvin Laird |
January 22, 1969 - January 29, 1973 |
Richard Nixon |
| Elliot L. Richardson[?] |
January 30, 1973 - May 24, 1973 |
Richard Nixon |
| James R. Schlesinger[?] |
July 2, 1973 - November 19, 1975 |
Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford |
| Donald H. Rumsfeld (1st time) |
November 20, 1975 - January 20, 1977 |
Gerald Ford |
| Harold Brown[?] |
January 21, 1977 - January 20, 1981 |
Jimmy Carter |
| Caspar W. Weinberger[?] |
January 21, 1981 - November 23, 1987 |
Ronald Reagan |
| Frank C. Carlucci[?] |
November 23, 1987 - January 20, 1989 |
Ronald Reagan |
| Richard B. Cheney |
March 21, 1989 - January 20, 1993 |
George H. W. Bush |
| Les Aspin[?] |
January 21, 1993 - February 3, 1994 |
Bill Clinton |
| William J. Perry |
February 3, 1994 - January 23, 1997 |
Bill Clinton |
| William S. Cohen[?] |
January 24, 1997 - January 20, 2001 |
Bill Clinton |
| Donald H. Rumsfeld (2nd time) |
January 20, 2001 - present |
George W. Bush |
