The United States deputy secretary of labor is the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Labor. In the United States federal government, the deputy secretary oversees the day-to-day operation of the Department of Labor, and may act as secretary of labor during the absence of the secretary. The deputy secretary is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Keith Sonderling was confirmed on March 13, 2025 to the position.
List of deputy secretaries of labor
The following is a list of deputy secretaries of labor or earlier equivalent positions.[1]
# | Image | Name | Term |
---|---|---|---|
Assistant secretary (1913–1925) | |||
1 | ![]() |
Louis F. Post | 1913–1921 |
2 | ![]() |
Edward J. Henning | 1921–1925 |
First assistant secretary (1925–1946) | |||
3 | Robe C. White | 1925–1933 | |
4 | ![]() |
Edward F. McGrady | 1933–1937 |
5 | Charles V. McLaughlin | 1938–1941 | |
6 | Daniel W. Tracy | 1941–1946 | |
– | John W. Gibson (Acting) | 1946 | |
Under secretary (1946–1986) | |||
7 | ![]() |
Keen Johnson | 1946–1947 |
8 | ![]() |
David A. Morse | 1947–1948 |
9 | ![]() |
Michael J. Galvin | 1949–1953 |
10 | Lloyd A. Mashburn | 1953 | |
11 | Arthur Larson | 1954–1956 | |
12 | James T. O'Connell | 1957–1961 | |
13 | ![]() |
W. Willard Wirtz | 1961–1962 |
14 | ![]() |
John F. Henning | 1962–1967 |
15 | James J. Reynolds | 1967–1969 | |
16 | ![]() |
James D. Hodgson | 1969–1970 |
17 | ![]() |
Laurence Silberman | 1970–1973 |
18 | Richard F. Schubert | 1973–1975 | |
19 | Robert O. Aders | 1975–1976 | |
20 | ![]() |
Michael Moskow | 1976–1977 |
21 | Robert J. Brown | 1977–1980 | |
22 | John N. Gentry | 1980–1981 | |
– | Vacant | 1981–1982 | |
23 | Malcolm R. Lovell, Jr. | 1982–1983 | |
– | Vacant | 1983–1984 | |
24 | Ford B. Ford | 1984–1986 | |
Deputy secretary (since 1986) | |||
25 | Dennis E. Whitfield | 1986–1989 | |
26 | Roderick DeArment | 1989–1992 | |
27 | ![]() |
Delbert L. Spurlock, Jr. | 1992–1993 |
28 | Thomas P. Glynn | 1993–1996 | |
– | Cynthia A. Metzler (Acting) | 1996–1997 | |
– | Vacant | 1997–1998 | |
29 | Kathryn O. Higgins | 1998–2000 | |
30 | ![]() |
Edward B. Montgomery | 2000–2001 |
31 | ![]() |
D. Cameron Findlay | 2001–2003 |
32 | Steven J. Law | 2003–2007 | |
33 | ![]() |
Howard M. Radzely | 2007–2009 |
34 | ![]() |
Seth Harris | 2009–2014 |
– | ![]() |
M. Patricia Smith | 2014 |
35 | ![]() |
Chris Lu | 2014–2017 |
36 | ![]() |
Patrick Pizzella | 2018–2021 |
37 | ![]() |
Julie Su | 2021–2025 |
38 | ![]() |
Keith Sonderling | 2025–present |
References
- ^ "U.S. Department of Labor – Historical Office". Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2009.