This is a list of United States Secretaries of Defense by time in office. This is based on the difference between dates; if counted by number of calendar days all the figures would be one greater. (Note that the list of popes by length of reign use numbers of calendar days.)
Robert McNamara and Donald Rumsfeld are the only two people to have served as Secretary of Defense for more 7 years. Rumsfeld is the only Secretary of Defense ever to have served two non-consecutive terms. Elliot Richardson served as Secretary of Defense for less than four months before becoming Attorney General.
# in office | Secretary | Days | Rank |
---|---|---|---|
8 | Robert McNamara | 2,595 | 1 |
13/21 | Donald Rumsfeld | 2,585 | 2 |
15 | Caspar Weinberger | 2,497 | 3 |
5 | Charles Erwin Wilson | 1,722 | 4 |
22 | Robert Gates | 1,656 | 5 |
10 | Melvin R. Laird | 1,469 | 6 |
14 | Harold Brown | 1,460 | 7 |
20 | William Cohen | 1,457 | 8 |
17 | Dick Cheney | 1,402 | 9 |
19 | William Perry | 1,085 | 10 |
12 | James R. Schlesinger | 870 | 11 |
6 | Neil H. McElroy | 783 | 12 |
23 | Leon Panetta | 608 | 13 |
1 | James Forrestal | 558 | 14 |
2 | Louis A. Johnson | 540 | 15 |
4 | Robert A. Lovett | 491 | 16 |
16 | Frank Carlucci | 424 | 17 |
7 | Thomas S. Gates, Jr. | 415 | 18 |
18 | Les Aspin | 378 | 19 |
3 | George Marshall | 356 | 20 |
9 | Clark Clifford | 326 | 21 |
24 | Chuck Hagel | 4,038 | 22 |
11 | Elliot Richardson | 114 | 23 |
See also[]
- List of United States Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by time in office
- List of United States Secretaries of State by time in office
The original article can be found at List of United States Secretaries of Defense by time in office and the edit history here.