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U.S. Department of the Interior

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The Department of the Interior is a United States executive department established in 1849. The department was formed to protect and manage the nation's natural resources and cultural heritage.[1]

Doug Burgum is the U.S. secretary of the interior. Click here to learn more about his confirmation process.

The department oversees various federal agencies including: the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey.[2]

History

The Office of the Interior was formed in 1849 to protect and manage the nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage. The following is a list of important dates in the department's history:[3]

  • 1869: Hayden expedition began geological survey of Western territories
  • 1872: Yellowstone National Park established by Congress
  • 1879: U.S. Geological Survey established
  • 1903: First National Wildlife Refuge established at Pelican Island, Florida
  • 1916: National Park Service established by President Woodrow Wilson
  • 1940: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service created from agency merging
  • 1982: Minerals Management Service established for mineral revenue collection and offshore land management

Mission

The Department of the Interior website states the mission:

The Department of the Interior protects and manages the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities.[4]
—Department of the Interior[1]

Leadership

Doug Burgum is the U.S. secretary of the interior.

Secretaries of the Interior Full History
Secretary of the Interior Years in office Nominated by Confirmation vote
Thomas Ewing 1849-1850 Zachary Taylor
Thomas M.T. McKennan 1850-1850 Millard Fillmore
Alexander H.H. Stuart 1850-1853 Millard Fillmore
Robert McClelland 1853-1857 Franklin Pierce
Jacob Thompson 1857-1861 James Buchanan
Caleb B. Smith 1861-1862 Abraham Lincoln
John P. Usher 1863-1865 Andrew Johnson
James Harlan 1865-1866 Andrew Johnson
Orville H. Browning 1866-1869 Andrew Johnson
Jacob D. Cox 1869-1870 Ulysses S. Grant
Columbus Delano 1870-1875 Ulysses S. Grant
Zachariah Chandler 1875-1877 Ulysses S. Grant
Carl Schurz 1877-1881 Rutherford B. Hayes
Samuel J. Kirkwood 1881-1882 James Garfield
Henry M. Teller 1882-1885 Chester A. Arthur
Lucius Q.C. Lamar, II 1885-1888 Grover Cleveland
William F. Vilas 1888-1889 Grover Cleveland
John W. Noble 1889-1893 Benjamin Harrison
M. Hoke Smith 1893-1896 Grover Cleveland
David R. Francis 1896-1897 Grover Cleveland
Cornelius N. Bliss 1897-1899 William McKinley
Ethan A. Hitchcock 1899-1907 Theodore Roosevelt
James R. Garfield 1907-1909 Theodore Roosevelt
Richard A. Ballinger 1909-1911 William Howard Taft
Walter L. Fisher 1911-1913 William Howard Taft
Franklin K. Lane 1913-1920 Woodrow Wilson
John B. Payne 1920-1921 Woodrow Wilson
Albert B. Fall 1921-1923 Warren G. Harding
Hubert Work 1923-1928 Calvin Coolidge
Roy Owen West 1928-1929 Calvin Coolidge
Ray Lyman Wilbur 1929-1933 Herbert Hoover
Harold L. Ickes 1933-1946 Franklin D. Roosevelt
Julius A. Krug 1946-1949 Harry Truman
Oscar L. Chapman 1949-1953 Harry Truman
Douglas McKay 1953-1956 Dwight Eisenhower
Fred A. Seaton 1956-1961 Dwight Eisenhower
Steward L. Udall 1961-1969 John F. Kennedy
Walter J. Hickel 1969-1970 Richard Nixon
Rogers C.B. Morton 1971-1975 Gerald Ford
Stanley K. Hathaway 1975 Gerald Ford
Thomas S. Kleppe 1975-1977 Gerald Ford
Cecil D. Andrus 1977-1981 Jimmy Carter N/A
James G. Watt 1981-1983 Ronald Reagan 83-12
William P. Clark 1983-1985 Ronald Reagan 71-18
Donald P. Hodel 1985-1989 Ronald Reagan 93-1
Manuel Lujan, Jr. 1989-1993 George H.W. Bush 100-0
Bruce E. Babbitt 1993-2001 Bill Clinton N/A
Gale A. Norton 2001-2006 George W. Bush 75-24
Dirk A. Kempthorne 2006-2009 George W. Bush N/A
Ken Salazar 2009-2013 Barack Obama N/A
Sally Jewell 2013-2017 Barack Obama 87-11
Ryan Zinke 2017-2019 Donald Trump 68-31
David Bernhardt 2019-2021 Donald Trump 56-41
Debra Haaland 2021-2025 Joe Biden 51-40
Walter Cruickshank (acting) 2025-2025 Donald Trump -
Doug Burgum 2025-present Donald Trump 79-18

Note: Votes marked "N/A" represent voice votes or unrecorded votes. Missing votes will be filled as they are researched.

Organization

Administrative State

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See also

External links

Footnotes

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U.S. Executive Branch
Elected offices

President Donald Trump • Vice President J.D. Vance


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Executive departments
Cabinet-level offices
Federally appointed offices
Glossary

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The Administrative State
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Reporting
Laws

Administrative Procedure ActAntiquities ActCivil Service Reform ActClayton Antitrust ActCommunications Act of 1934Congressional Review ActElectronic Freedom of Information ActFederal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938Federal Housekeeping StatuteFederal Reserve ActFederal Trade Commission Act of 1914Freedom of Information ActGovernment in the Sunshine ActIndependent Offices Appropriations Act of 1952Information Quality ActInterstate Commerce ActNational Labor Relations ActPaperwork Reduction ActPendleton ActPrivacy Act of 1974Regulatory Flexibility ActREINS ActREINS Act (Wisconsin)Securities Act of 1933Securities Exchange Act of 1934Sherman Antitrust ActSmall Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness ActTruth in Regulating ActUnfunded Mandates Reform Act

Cases

Abbott Laboratories v. GardnerA.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United StatesAssociation of Data Processing Service Organizations v. CampAuer v. RobbinsChevron v. Natural Resources Defense CouncilCitizens to Preserve Overton Park v. VolpeFederal Trade Commission (FTC) v. Standard Oil Company of CaliforniaField v. ClarkFood and Drug Administration v. Brown and Williamson Tobacco CorporationHumphrey's Executor v. United StatesImmigration and Naturalization Service (INS) v. ChadhaJ.W. Hampton Jr. & Company v. United StatesLucia v. SECMarshall v. Barlow'sMassachusetts v. Environmental Protection AgencyMistretta v. United StatesNational Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) v. SebeliusNational Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning CompanyNational Labor Relations Board v. Sears, Roebuck & Co.Panama Refining Co. v. RyanSecurities and Exchange Commission v. Chenery CorporationSkidmore v. Swift & Co.United States v. LopezUnited States v. Western Pacific Railroad Co.Universal Camera Corporation v. National Labor Relations BoardVermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. Natural Resources Defense CouncilWayman v. SouthardWeyerhaeuser Company v. United States Fish and Wildlife ServiceWhitman v. American Trucking AssociationsWickard v. FilburnWiener v. United States

Terms

Adjudication (administrative state)Administrative judgeAdministrative lawAdministrative law judgeAdministrative stateArbitrary-or-capricious testAuer deferenceBarrier to entryBootleggers and BaptistsChevron deference (doctrine)Civil servantCivil serviceCode of Federal RegulationsCodify (administrative state)Comment periodCompliance costsCongressional RecordCoordination (administrative state)Deference (administrative state)Direct and indirect costs (administrative state)Enabling statuteEx parte communication (administrative state)Executive agencyFederal lawFederal RegisterFederalismFinal ruleFormal rulemakingFormalism (law)Functionalism (law)Guidance (administrative state)Hybrid rulemakingIncorporation by referenceIndependent federal agencyInformal rulemakingJoint resolution of disapproval (administrative state)Major ruleNegotiated rulemakingNondelegation doctrineOIRA prompt letterOrganic statutePragmatism (law)Precautionary principlePromulgateProposed rulePublication rulemakingRegulatory budgetRegulatory captureRegulatory dark matterRegulatory impact analysisRegulatory policy officerRegulatory reform officerRegulatory reviewRent seekingRetrospective regulatory reviewRisk assessment (administrative state)RulemakingSeparation of powersSignificant regulatory actionSkidmore deferenceStatutory authoritySubstantive law and procedural lawSue and settleSunset provisionUnified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory ActionsUnited States CodeUnited States Statutes at Large

Bibliography

Agencies

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