- Benjamin Stoddert (1798 - 1801)
- Expand navigation for Robert Smith (1801 - 1809) Robert Smith (1801 - 1809)
- Paul Hamilton (1809 - 1812)
- William Jones (1813 - 1814)
- Benjamin W. Crowninshield (1815 - 1818)
- Smith Thompson (1819 - 1823)
- Samuel Southard (1823 - 1829)
- John Branch, Jr. (1829 - 1831)
- Levi Woodbury (1831 - 1834)
- Mahlon Dickerson (1834 - 1838)
- James K. Paulding (1838 - 1841)
- George Edmund Badger (1841)
- Expand navigation for Abel P. Upshur (1841 - 1843) Abel P. Upshur (1841 - 1843)
- David Henshaw (1843 - 1844)
- Expand navigation for Thomas W. Gilmer (1844) Thomas W. Gilmer (1844)
- John Y. Mason (1844-1845) (1846-1849)
- George Bancroft (1845 - 1846)
- William B. Preston (1849 - 1850)
- William A. Graham (1850 - 1852)
- John P. Kennedy (1852 - 1853)
- James C. Dobbin (1853 - 1857)
- Isaac Toucey (1857 - 1861)
- Gideon Welles (1861 - 1869)
- Adolph Edward Borie (1869)
- Expand navigation for George M. Robeson (1869 - 1877) George M. Robeson (1869 - 1877)
- Richard W. Thompson (1877 - 1880)
- Nathan Goff, Jr. (1881)
- William Henry Hunt (1881 - 1882)
- William Eaton Chandler (1882 - 1885)
- William C. Whitney (1885 - 1889)
- Benjamin F. Tracy (1889 - 1893)
- Hilary A. Herbert (1893 - 1897)
- John D. Long (1897 - 1902)
- William H. Moody (1902 - 1904)
- Expand navigation for Paul Morton (1904 - 1905) Paul Morton (1904 - 1905)
- Charles J. Bonaparte (1905 - 1906)
- Expand navigation for Victor H. Metcalf (1906 - 1908) Victor H. Metcalf (1906 - 1908)
- Truman H. Newberry (1908 - 1909)
- George von L. Meyer (1909 - 1913)
- Expand navigation for Josephus Daniels (1913 - 1921) Josephus Daniels (1913 - 1921)
- Edwin Denby (1921 - 1924)
- Charles F. Adams, III (1929 - 1933)
- Claude A. Swanson (1933 - 1939)
- Expand navigation for Charles Edison (1940) Charles Edison (1940)
- William Franklin Knox (1940 - 1944)
- Expand navigation for James Forrestal (1944 - 1947) James Forrestal (1944 - 1947)
- John Lawrence Sullivan (1947 - 1949)
- Francis P. Matthews (1949 - 1951)
- Dan A. Kimball (1951 - 1953)
- Expand navigation for Robert B. Anderson (1953 - 1954) Robert B. Anderson (1953 - 1954)
- Charles S. Thomas (1954 - 1957)
- Thomas S. Gates (1957 - 1959)
- William Birrell Franke (1959 - 1961)
- John Bowden Connally, Jr. (1961)
- Fred Korth (1962 - 1963)
- Expand navigation for Paul B. Fay (acting) (1963) Paul B. Fay (acting) (1963)
- Paul Henry Nitze (1963 - 1967)
- Charles Fitz Baird (acting) (1967)
- Paul R. Ignatius (1967 - 1969)
- John Hubbard Chafee (1969 - 1972)
- John William Warner (1972 - 1974)
- Expand navigation for J. William Middendorf (1974 - 1977) J. William Middendorf (1974 - 1977)
- William Graham Claytor, Jr. (1977 - 1979)
- Edward Hidalgo (1979 - 1981)
- Expand navigation for John Lehman (1981 - 1987) John Lehman (1981 - 1987)
- Expand navigation for James H. Webb (1987 - 1988) James H. Webb (1987 - 1988)
- Expand navigation for William L. Ball (1988 - 1989) William L. Ball (1988 - 1989)
- Henry L. Garrett III (1989 - 1992)
- Expand navigation for Daniel Howard (acting) (1992) Daniel Howard (acting) (1992)
- Sean Charles O'Keefe (1992 - 1993)
- ADM Frank B. Kelso, II (acting) (1993)
- John Howard Dalton (1993 - 1998)
- Richard Jeffrey Danzig (1998 - 2001)
- Robert B. Pirie, Jr. (acting) (2001)
- Gordon R. England (2001-2003) (2003-2005)
- Susan M. Livingstone (acting) (2003)
- Hansford T. Johnson (acting) (2003)
- Donald Charles Winter (2006 - 2009)
- Raymond Edwin Mabus, Jr. (2009 - 2017)
- Sean G. J. Stackley (acting) (2017)
- Richard V. Spencer (2017 - 2019)
- Thomas B. Modly (acting) (2019-2020)
- James E. McPherson (acting) (2020)
- Kenneth J. Braithwaite (2020-2021)
- Thomas W. Harker (acting) (2021)
- Carlos Del Toro (2021-present)
- Organizations and Offices
- Biography
- Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV)
- Image (gif, jpg, tiff)
- NHHC
Josephus Daniels
18 May 1862 – 15 January 1948

Josephus Daniels was born 18 May 1862 in Washington, North Carolina. As editor and publisher of the News and Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, he became a major editorial voice in the south, although he was an unrepentant lifelong white supremacist. He was appointed Secretary of the Navy for President Woodrow Wilson’s administration in 1913. His significant naval reforms included abolishing alcohol on board ships, introduction of women into the service, and establishment of service schools on board ships and stations. He had great interest in the common man, favoring promotion from the ranks and inaugurating the practice of making 100 sailors from the fleet eligible for entrance into the U.S. Naval Academy annually. Under his leadership, the Navy expanded greatly and fought effectively during World War I. He resigned as Secretary of the Navy in 1921, returning to his job as editor and publisher of the News and Observer.
From 1933 to 1942, Daniels served as ambassador to Mexico. After furthering President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Good Neighbor” policy with Mexico, he devoted the remainder of his life to editing and writing a number of books, including Our Navy at War and Life of Woodrow Wilson.
He died in Raleigh on 15 January 1948. USS Josephus Daniels (DLG/CG-27) was named in his honor. The ship served the Navy for more than 28 years.
Footnotes
- Accessibility/Section 508 |
- Employee Login |
- FOIA |
- NHHC IG |
- Privacy |
- Webmaster |
- Navy.mil |
- Navy Recruiting |
- Careers |
- USA.gov |
- USA Jobs
- No Fear Act |
- Site Map |
- This is an official U.S. Navy web site