U.S. Department of the Interior
From Ballotpedia
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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Read more about the administrative state on Ballotpedia. |
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Official Department of the Interior website
- Official Facebook page
- Official Twitter page
- Official Youtube channel
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 U.S. Department of the Interior, "Strategic plan FY 2011-2016," accessed January 2, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "Bureaus and Offices," January 2, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "History of the Interior," accessed January 2, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.