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United States Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services

Leading role in US federal department


Summary

Leading role in US federal department

FieldValue
postUnited States Deputy Secretary
bodyHealth and Human Services
flag
flagsize130
flagcaption
insigniaUS Department of Health and Human Services seal.svg
insigniasize120
insigniacaptionSeal of the Department of Health and Human Services
imagePortrait_of_Jim_O%27Neill.webp
incumbentJim O'Neill
incumbentsinceJune 9, 2025
departmentUnited States Department of Health and Human Services
styleMr. Deputy Secretary (informal)
The Honorable (formal)
reports_toUnited States Secretary of Health and Human Services
seatHubert H. Humphrey Building, Washington, D.C.
appointerThe president
appointer_qualifiedwith Senate advice and consent
termlengthNo fixed term
precursorUnder Secretary of Health and Human Services
formationAugust 1990
firstConstance Horner
salaryExecutive Schedule, level II
website

The Honorable (formal) The deputy secretary of health and human services (formerly the ** under secretary of health, education, and welfare**, 1953–1979, and the under secretary of health and human services, 1979–1990) is the chief operating officer of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The deputy secretary oversees all operations within the department, including overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, public health, medical research, food and drug safety, welfare, child and family services, disease prevention, Indian health, and mental health services. The current deputy secretary is Jim O'Neill, who was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 9th, 2025.

The deputy secretary is also the regulatory policy officer for the department, overseeing the development and approval of all HHS regulations and significant guidance. In addition, the deputy secretary leads a number of initiatives at the department, including implementing the president's management agenda, combating bio-terrorism, and public health emergency preparedness. He also represents the secretary of health and human services on the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The deputy secretary is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The deputy secretary is paid at level II of the Executive Schedule. The deputy secretary is assisted by a principal associate deputy secretary of health and human services, two associate deputy secretaries, and three staff assistants. The position of deputy secretary was originally held by an under secretary until the position was retitled in August 1990. The position of under secretary had been in existence since the creation of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1953.

Health, Education, and Welfare

List of Assistant Secretaries

#ImageNameTook officeLeft officePresident served underReferences
1[[File:No image.svg60px]]Jane Morrow SpauldingApril 1953January 1954Dwight D. Eisenhower

List of Under Secretaries

#ImageNameTook officeLeft officePresident served underReferences
1[[File:Nelson Rockefeller HEW (cropped).jpg60px]]Nelson RockefellerJune 1953December 1954Dwight D. Eisenhower
[[File:No image.svg60px]]VacantDecember 1954September 1955
2[[File:No image.svg60px]]Herold Christian HuntSeptember 1955February 1957
[[File:No image.svg60px]]VacantFebruary 1957April 1957
3[[File:No image.svg60px]]John Alanson PerkinsApril 1957March 1958
[[File:No image.svg60px]]VacantMarch 7, 1958March 18, 1958
4[[File:No image.svg60px]]Bertha AdkinsMarch 1958January 1961Republican Party]]'s Women's Division from 1950 to 1953, when the division closed. Adkins then became assistant to the chair of the Republican National Committee, serving until 1960."
5[[File:No image.svg60px]]Ivan Arnold NestingenJanuary 1961May 1965John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
6[[File:Wilburportrait.jpg60px]]Wilbur J. CohenJune 1965May 1968
[[File:No image.svg60px]]VacantMay 1968July 1968
7[[File:No image.svg60px]]James H. McCrocklinJuly 1968January 1969Southwest Texas State College]], which boasts one really distinguished alumnus, named Johnson."
[[File:No image.svg60px]]VacantJanuary 1969March 1969Richard Nixon
8[[File:No image.svg60px]]John VenemanMarch 1969January 1973Robert H. Finch]] (1969–1970) and Richardson (1970–1973) as secretaries and John G. Veneman (1969–1973) as under secretary".
9[[File:Ambassador Frank Carlucci 59-N-VS-2097-74 (cropped).jpg60px]]Frank CarlucciJanuary 1973January 1975
Gerald Fordtitle=Better Evaluations Needed to Weed Out Useless Federal Advisory Committeesdate=1977publisher=United States General Accounting Officeurl=https://books.google.com/books?id=4S0sAAAAIAAJaccess-date=22 March 2023}}
10[[File:Representative Marjorie W. Lynch, 1967.jpg60px]]Marjorie LynchNovember 1975January 1977
Gerald Ford
11[[File:No image.svg60px]]Hale ChampionJanuary 1977June 1979
Jimmy Carter

Health and Human Services

List of Under Secretaries

#ImageNameTook officeLeft officePresident served underReferences
12[[File:John Svahn.gif60px]]John A. SvahnMarch 1983September 1983Ronald Reagan
13[[File:No image.svg60px]]Charles D. Baker19841985
14[[File:No image.svg60px]]Don M. Newman19851989
15[[File:Contance-Horner.jpg60px]]Constance Horner1989August 1990George H. W. Bush

List of Deputy Secretaries

#ImageNameTook officeLeft officePresident served underReferences
15[[File:Contance-Horner.jpg60px]]Constance HornerAugust 19901991George H. W. Bush
16[[File:Kevin E. Moley.jpg60px]]Kevin Moley19911993
17[[File:No image.svg60px]]Walter Broadnax19931996Bill Clinton
18[[File:No image.svg60px]]Kevin Thurm19962001
19[[File:Claudeallen.jpg60px]]Claude AllenMay 26, 2001January 22, 2005George W. Bush
20[[File:Alex Azar official photo (cropped).jpg60px]]Alex AzarJanuary 22, 2005February 4, 2007
[[File:Eric Hargan official portrait (cropped).jpg60px]]Eric Hargan
(acting)February 4, 2007August 5, 2007
21[[File:Tevi David Troy HHS 2007.jpg60px]]Tevi TroyAugust 5, 2007January 20, 2009title=HHS – Biography of Tevi D. Troy, Deputy Secretaryurl=https://www.hhs.gov/agencies/bios/deputysecretary.htmlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820191630/http://www.hhs.gov/agencies/bios/deputysecretary.htmlurl-status=deadarchive-date=August 20, 2007access-date=September 25, 2007}}
22[[File:William corr.jpg60px]]Bill CorrMay 6, 2009April 2015Barack Obamaurl=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/07/13/presidential-nomination-sent-senatetitle=Presidential Nomination Sent to Senatedate=July 13, 2015via=National Archiveswork=whitehouse.govaccess-date=July 14, 2015}}
[[File:WakefieldWEBphoto.jpg60px]]Mary Wakefield
(acting)April 2015January 20, 2017
[[File:Colleen Barros.png60px]]Colleen Barros
(acting)January 20, 2017October 6, 2017Donald Trump
23[[File:Eric D. Hargan official photo (cropped).jpg60px]]Eric HarganOctober 6, 2017January 20, 2021
24[[File:Andrea Palm, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services.jpg60px]]Andrea PalmMay 12, 2021January 20, 2025Joe Biden
25[[File:Portrait of Jim O'Neill.jpg59x59px]]Jim O'NeillJune 9, 2025IncumbentDonald Trump

References

Sources

References

  1. [https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/jim-oneill-sworn-in-as-deputy-secretary.html hhs.gov]
  2. "US CODE: Title 42,3501. Establishment of Department; effective date".
  3. "US CODE: Title 5,5313. Positions at level II".
  4. "HHS/OS Organizational Directory (IOS/Office of the Deputy Secretary) – Browse".
  5. Smith, Jessie Carney, "Notable Black American women, Book II" (1996), p. 611 "In April, 1953, when the Department of Health, Education and Welfare was established with [[Oveta Culp Hobby]] as its first secretary, Spaulding was appointed her assistant. ... After only nine months... Spaulding was reassigned. On January 21, 1954, HEW released to the press the entire text of Jane Spaulding's resignation along with the report that she has accepted a position with the War Claims Commission."
  6. Mjagki, Nina, "Portraits of African American life since 1865" (2003), p. 190 "More African Americans were appointed to high federal posts during the Eisenhower than by any other administration since that of Theodore Roosevelt". Roberta Church was reportedly considered for the position of "assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare"... "but that job went to Jane Morrow Spaulding, another prominent black Republican."
  7. A common thread of Service, p. 43. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. Under Secretary was a new office, outranking the position of Assistant. "Nelson A. Rockefeller June 11, 1953 – December 22, 1954".
  8. A common thread of Service, p. 43. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Vacancy December 23, 1954 – September 11, 1955".
  9. A common thread of Service, p. 43. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Herold C. Hunt September 12, 1955 – February 4, 1957".
  10. A common thread of Service, p. 43. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Vacancy February 5, 1957 – April 4, 1957".
  11. A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "John A.Perkins April 5, 1957 – March 6, 1958".
  12. "Journal of physical education and recreation", Vol. 28 (1957), p. 52. "John Alanson Perkins, who has been president of the [[University of Delaware]] since 1950, has been appointed to the position of Under Secretary".
  13. A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Vacancy March 7, 1958 – March 18, 1958".
  14. A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Bertha S. Atkins March 19, 1958 – January 19, 1961".
  15. O'Dea Schenken, Suzanne, "From suffrage to the Senate: an encyclopedia of American women in Politics, Vol. II", p. 17. Contains a bio of Adkins. "Adkins, Bertha Sheppard (1906–1983). Undersecretary of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1958 to 1960. ... Served as director of the [[Republican Party (United States). Republican Party]]'s Women's Division from 1950 to 1953, when the division closed. Adkins then became assistant to the chair of the [[Republican National Committee]], serving until 1960."
  16. A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Ivan A. Nestingen January 21, 1961 – May 31, 1965".
  17. Mossman, Jennifer, "Almanac of Famous People". Vol. 1", p. 1421. Contains a brief bio of Nestingen. "Nestingen, Ivan Arnold" (1921–1978) . He is listed as [[List of mayors of Madison, Wisconsin. Mayor of Madison Wisconsin]] from 1956 to 1961, Under Secretary of HEW from 1961 to 1965.
  18. Bowling, Lawson, "Shapers of the Great Debate on the Great Society", p. 44. Covers Nestingen in a section covering the efforts to introduce [[Medicare (United States). Medicare]] and his working relationship with [[Wilbur J. Cohen]]. "Cohen's immediate superior and fellow Wisconsinite, HEW Undersecretary Ivan Nestingen, grew extremely frustrated with the congressional logjam and, disillusioned with Cohen's inside game, came to favor an outside public relations effort to create pressure on Congress, banking on the Medicare concept's general popularity. ... Nestingen eventually left government service in 1965 in a fashion rumored not to be voluntary".
  19. A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Wilbur J. Cohen June 1, 1965 – May 16, 1968".
  20. A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Vacancy May 17, 1968 – July 14, 1968".
  21. A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "James H. McCrocklin July 15, 1968 – January 20, 1969".
  22. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121107051326/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,841305-1,00.html Time Magazine article, L.B.J. : Lengthening Shadows], originally published June 28, 1968. "When the President fills vacant posts, appointments have an odor of the payoff. James McCrocklin, new Under Secretary of HEW, is a former president of [[Texas State University–San Marcos. Southwest Texas State College]], which boasts one really distinguished alumnus, named Johnson."
  23. "The inauguration of James Henry McCrocklin as fourth president of Southwest Texas State Teachers College" 1964). The title offers the full name of McCrocklin.
  24. A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Vacancy January 21, 1969 – March 5, 1969".
  25. A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "John G. Veneman March 6, 1969 to present". The book was published in 1970
  26. Derthick, Martha, "Policymaking for social security" (1979), p. 68. "The Nixon administration of 1969–72 continued the practice of liberal appointees with [[Robert Finch (American politician). Robert H. Finch]] (1969–1970) and [[Elliot Richardson. Richardson]] (1970–1973) as secretaries and John G. Veneman (1969–1973) as under secretary".
  27. Kaplowitz, Craig Allan, "LULAC, Mexican Americans and National Policy" (2005), p. 147. "As John Veneman, undersecretary of HEW, told ''[[The Washington Post]]'' in January 1972, 'Whenever Spanish-speaking students' performance is shown to be markedly lower, a strong case can be made that they are not receiving an equal education.' Teaching children in a language that some understand and others do not was not 'equal', according to Veneman, and Spanish language use and low test scores together could prove the need for remedy."
  28. (1977). "Better Evaluations Needed to Weed Out Useless Federal Advisory Committees". United States General Accounting Office.
  29. (January 20, 1977). "Harvard financial chief Hale Champion named under secretary of HEW". The Boston Globe.
  30. (May 17, 1979). "Hale Champion resigns from HEW". The Boston Globe.
  31. "Appointment of John A. Svahn as United States Commissioner on the Commission for the Study of Alternatives to the Panama Canal". [[Ronald Reagan Presidential Library]].
  32. "HHS Organizational Directory – Browse".
  33. "HHS/OS Organizational Directory (IOS/Office of the Deputy Secretary) – Browse".
  34. "HHS – Office of the Deputy Secretary".
  35. "HHS – Office of the Deputy Secretary".
  36. "HHS – Biography of Tevi D. Troy, Deputy Secretary".
  37. (July 13, 2015). "Presidential Nomination Sent to Senate". [[whitehouse.gov]].
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