The United States Assistant Secretary of War was the second–ranking official within the American

Department of War War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence {{u ...

from 1861 to 1867, from 1882 to 1883, and from 1890 to 1940. According to th
Military Laws of the United States
"The act of August 5, 1882 authorizing the appointment of an Assistant Secretary of War was repealed by the act of July 7, 1884 (23 Stat L., 331) the power conferred by the act of August 5, 1882 never having been exercised," indicating that the post was not filled between 1882 and 1883 (p. 45, footnote 2). In 1940, the new position of United States Under Secretary of War replaced this position as the number-two office in the department. Assistant Secretary Robert P. Patterson became the first Under Secretary. The office continued to exercise administrative duties until the department's end in 1947, when the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national sec ...

was established.

List of Assistant Secretaries of War

This list only includes those persons who served as ''the'' Assistant Secretary, or ''First'' Assistant Secretary. At various times, there were also "second" or "third" assistant secretaries, ranking below the Assistant Secretary. * Thomas Alexander Scott (March 10, 1861 – January 24, 1862) * Peter H. Watson (January 24, 1862 – January 28, 1862) *John Tucker (January 29, 1862 – June 10, 1862) * Christopher Parsons Wolcott (June 11, 1862 – April 4, 1863) died in office *

Charles Anderson Dana Charles Anderson Dana (August 8, 1819 – October 17, 1897) was an American journalist, author, and senior government official. He was a top aide to Horace Greeley as the managing editor of the powerful Republican newspaper '' New-York Tribun ...

(January 28, 1864 – July 26, 1866) * Thomas Thompson Eckert (July 27, 1866 – 1867) –– under Edwin M. Stanton during

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a De ...

's presidency, office abolished 1868 * Lewis Addison Grant (c. 1890–1893) * Joseph Doe (c. 1893–1897) *

George de Rue Meiklejohn George de Rue Meiklejohn (; August 26, 1857 – April 19, 1929) was an American politician who served as the fifth lieutenant governor of Nebraska under Governor John Milton Thayer and a member of the United States House of Representatives for N ...

(1897–1901) *

William Cary Sanger William Cary Sanger, Sr. (May 21, 1853 – December 6, 1921) was an American politician who served as the United States Assistant Secretary of War from 1901 to 1903. Biography He was born on May 21, 1853 in Brooklyn, New York City to Henry Sang ...

(1901–1903) *

Robert Shaw Oliver Robert Shaw Oliver (September 13, 1847 – March 15, 1935) was an American soldier and businessman. Early life Oliver was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 13, 1847. He was a son of Daniel Augustus Oliver and Elizabeth Willard (née S ...

(1903–1913) * Henry Skillman Breckinridge (1913–1916) –– under Lindley M. Garrison during

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

's presidency *

William Moulton Ingraham William Moulton Ingraham (1870 – October 13, 1951) was an American politician from Portland, Maine. A Democrat, Ingraham was elected Mayor of Portland in December 1915. He served one term in that position and was replaced the following year b ...

(1916–1917) * Benedict Crowell (1917–1920) * William Reid Williams (1920–1921) * Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright (c. 1921–1923) *

Dwight F. Davis Dwight Filley Davis Sr. (July 5, 1879 – November 28, 1945) was an American tennis player and politician. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition. He was the Assistant Secretary of War from 1923 to ...

(1923–1925) *

Hanford MacNider Lieutenant General Hanford MacNider (October 2, 1889 – February 18, 1968) was a senior officer of the United States Army who fought in both world wars. He also served as a diplomat, the Assistant Secretary of War of the United States from ...

(October 16, 1925 – January 4, 1928) * Charles B. Robbins (January 4, 1928 – March 5, 1929) *

Patrick J. Hurley Patrick Jay Hurley (January 8, 1883July 30, 1963) was an American politician and diplomat. He was the United States Secretary of War from 1929 to 1933, but is best remembered for being Ambassador to China in 1945, during which he was instrumenta ...

(March 5, 1929 – December 1929) * Frederick Huff Payne (1930– c. 1933) * Harry Hines Woodring (1933–1936) *

Louis A. Johnson Louis Arthur Johnson (January 10, 1891April 24, 1966) was an American politician and Attorney general, attorney who served as the second United States Secretary of Defense from 1949 to 1950. He was the United States Assistant Secretary of War, A ...

(1937–1940) * Robert P. Patterson (1940) *

John J. McCloy John Jay McCloy (March 31, 1895 – March 11, 1989) was an American lawyer, diplomat, banker, and a presidential advisor. He served as Assistant Secretary of War during World War II under Henry Stimson, helping deal with issues such as German sa ...

(c. 1941–1945) * Howard C. Petersen (c. 1945–1947)

Assistant Secretary of War for Air

The Air Corps Act of 1926 (44 ''Stat.'' 780), passed on July 2 of that year, created a Second Assistant Secretary position in the War Department variously called "Assistant Secretary of War for

Aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes airplane, fixed-wing and helicopter, rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as aerostat, lighter- ...

," "Assistant Secretary of War for Air," or "Assistant Secretary of War for Aeronautics." Those holding the office, with an eigh-–year vacancy between 1933 and 1941, were F. Trubee Davison (1926–1933),

Robert A. Lovett Robert Abercrombie Lovett (September 14, 1895May 7, 1986) was the fourth United States Secretary of Defense, having been promoted to this position from Deputy Secretary of Defense. He served in the cabinet of President Harry S. Truman from 1951 t ...

(1941–1945), and

Stuart Symington William Stuart Symington III (; June 26, 1901 – December 14, 1988) was an American businessman and Democratic politician from Missouri. He served as the first Secretary of the Air Force from 1947 to 1950 and was a United States Senator from ...

(1946–1947).Time: "Line-Up"
/ref>

References

Records of the Office of the Secretary of War
{{USSecArm History of the government of the United States 1861 establishments in the United States