Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy.
From 1861 to 1954, the assistant secretary of the Navy was the second-highest civilian office in the Department of the Navy (reporting to the United States secretary of the Navy). That role has since been supplanted by the office of Under Secretary of the Navy and the office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy has been abolished. There have, however, been a number of offices bearing the phrase "Assistant Secretary of the Navy" in their title (see below for details).
At present, there are four assistant secretaries of the Navy, each of whom reports to and assists the secretary of the Navy and the under secretary of the Navy:
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment) The General Counsel of the Navy is equivalent in rank to the four assistant secretaries.
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.
The office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy was disestablished a second time in 1954.
Officeholders U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1897 to 1898, during the William McKinley administration. His short tenure was due to resigning to organize and lead into combat the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry during the Spanish–American War. He took the initiative to order Admiral George Dewey to sail to Manila where he sank the Spanish Pacific Fleet at the very outset of the war. U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1913 until 1920, and helped to implement Navy policies during World War I. According to author Edward J. Renehan, Jr., no fewer than five members of the extended Roosevelt family 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 (a son of Corinne Roosevelt Robinson) 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. Ralph Austin Bard was Assistant Secretary (1941–1944) and then Under Secretary (1944–1945) during World War II.
Assistant Secretaries of the Navy, 1861–1954 PictureNameAssumed officeLeft officePresident appointed bySecretary served underGustavus FoxAugust 1, 1861 November 26, 1866 Abraham LincolnGideon WellesWilliam FaxonJune 1, 1866 March 3, 1869 Andrew JohnsonGideon Welles, Adolph Edward Borie, George Maxwell Robeson, Richard Wigginton Thompson, Nathan Goff, Jr., William Henry Hunt, William Eaton Chandler, William Collins WhitneyJames R. SoleyJuly 18, 1890 March 19, 1893 Benjamin HarrisonBenjamin Franklin TracyWilliam McAdooMarch 20, 1893 April 18, 1897 Grover ClevelandHilary Abner HerbertTheodore RooseveltApril 19, 1897 May 10, 1898 William McKinleyJohn Davis LongCharles Herbert AllenMay 11, 1898 April 21, 1900 Frank W. HackettApril 24, 1900December 16, 1901 Charles Hial DarlingDecember 17, 1901 October 30, 1905 Theodore RooseveltJohn Davis Long, William Henry Moody, Paul Morton, Charles Joseph BonaparteTruman Handy NewberryNovember 1, 1905 November 30, 1908 Charles Joseph Bonaparte, Victor Howard MetcalfHerbert L. SatterleeDecember 3, 1908 March 5, 1909 Truman Handy NewberryBeekman WinthropMarch 6, 1909 March 16, 1913 William Howard TaftGeorge von Lengerke MeyerFranklin D. RooseveltMarch 17, 1913 August 26, 1920 Woodrow WilsonJosephus DanielsGordon WoodburyAugust 27, 1920 March 9, 1921 Theodore Roosevelt Jr.March 10, 1921 September 30, 1924 Warren HardingEdwin DenbyTheodore Douglas RobinsonNovember 11, 1924 March 4, 1929 Calvin CoolidgeCurtis Dwight WilburErnest L. JahnckeApril 1, 1929 March 17, 1933 Herbert HooverCharles Francis Adams IIIHenry L. RooseveltMarch 17, 1933 February 22, 1936 Franklin D. RooseveltClaude Augustus SwansonCharles EdisonJanuary 18, 1937 January 1, 1940Lewis ComptonFebruary 9, 1940 January 10, 1941 Charles EdisonRalph Austin BardFebruary 24, 1941 June 24, 1944 William Franklin KnoxH. Struve HenselJanuary 30, 1945 February 28, 1946 Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. TrumanJames Vincent ForrestalW. John KenneyMarch 1, 1946 September 19, 1947 Harry S. TrumanMark E. AndrewsJanuary 21, 1948 February 15, 1949 John L. SullivanJohn T. KoehlerFebruary 18, 1949 October 3, 1951 Francis P. MatthewsHerbert R. AskinsOctober 3, 1951 January 20, 1953 Dan A. KimballRaymond H. Fogler June 22, 1953 October 4, 1954Dwight D. EisenhowerRobert B. Anderson, Charles S. Thomas Source:
Defunct offices bearing the title of "Assistant Secretary of the Navy"
Office nameYear createdYear abolishedAssistant Secretary of the Navy (AIR)19261959Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Logistics)c. 1960s?c. 1970s?Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Material)c. 1950s?c. 1950s?Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research and Development)19591977Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Engineering and Systems)19771990Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Shipbuilding and Logistics)1990
References
External links 80.3.1 Records of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy General Records of the Department of the Navy, 1798-1947 (Record Group 80) 1804–1958, from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C. Source for papers and photos of various Assistant Secretaries of the Navy Navy Organization – The Secretariat An organizational chart for the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, Dept. of the Navy