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United States Secretary of the Interior

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Official portrait of Doug Burgum, United States Secretary of the Interior, in 2025.

The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. This important person helps manage and protect most federal land and natural resources in the country. The secretary leads many agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Geological Survey, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the National Park Service. They also serve on the National Park Foundation Board and are part of the United States Cabinet, reporting directly to the president of the United States.

Because the Department of the Interior affects many areas, especially in the Western United States, the secretary often comes from one of those western states. Only one secretary since 1949, Rogers Morton, was not from a state west of the Mississippi River.

The secretary of the interior is a very important job, paying a salary of US$246,400 as of January 2024, which is part of the Level I position in the Executive Schedule. As of now, the current secretary is Doug Burgum, who began the job on February 1, 2025.

Line of succession

The secretary of the interior has a specific order of people who can take over if needed. This order starts with the Deputy Secretary of the Interior and includes various assistant secretaries and directors from different agencies, such as the Bureau of Reclamation, US Geological Survey, National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management.

The full list of positions in the order of succession is shown below:

List of secretaries of the interior

The United States secretary of the interior leads the Department of the Interior. This department manages federal lands and natural resources. It oversees important agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Geological Survey, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the National Park Service. The secretary also helps lead the National Park Foundation Board, which includes private citizens.

Images

Portrait of Robert McClelland, an American politician, circa 1916.
A historical portrait of Jacob Thompson from around 1857.
Portrait of John Palmer Usher, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, taken between 1860 and 1870.
Portrait of James Harlan, a United States senator.
Portrait of Orville Hickman Browning, a U.S. Senator from Illinois, photographed by Mathew Brady.
Portrait of Jacob Dolson Cox, a U.S. politician and Secretary of the Interior, photographed in the 19th century.
Portrait of Zachariah Chandler, a former mayor of Detroit.
Portrait of Carl Schurz, a German-American statesman and reformer, wearing formal attire from the late 19th century.
Portrait of Thomas Ewing Sr., an American statesman and lawyer from the 19th century.
Portrait of Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan, a notable historical figure from the United States.
Portrait of Alexander Hugh Holmes Stuart, a historical figure from the United States.
Portrait of Caleb Blood Smith, who served as the United States Secretary of the Interior.
Portrait of Columbus Delano, who served as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
Portrait of Samuel Jordan Kirkwood, a notable historical figure.

Related articles

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on United States Secretary of the Interior, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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