Pete Buttigieg has served as the secretary of transportation since February 3, 2021. He was confirmed by the United States Senate by a vote of 86–13 on February 2, 2021.[5] Buttigieg is the first openly gay man to hold the position, the first openly gay Cabinet secretary and the youngest person to serve as secretary of transportation.[6]
History
The post was created on October 15, 1966, by the Department of Transportation Act, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.[2] The department's mission is "to develop and coordinate policies that will provide an efficient and economical national transportation system, with due regard for need, the environment, and the national defense."[2]
The first secretary of transportation was Alan S. Boyd, nominated to the post by Democratic president Lyndon B. Johnson. Ronald Reagan's second secretary of transportation, Elizabeth Dole, was the first female holder, and Mary Peters was the second. Gerald Ford's nominee William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. was the first African American to serve as transportation secretary, and Federico Peña, serving under Bill Clinton, was the first Hispanic to hold the position, subsequently becoming the secretary of energy. Japanese-American Norman Mineta, who had previously been the secretary of commerce, is the longest-serving secretary, holding the post for over five and a half years,[2] and Andrew Card is the shortest-serving secretary, serving only eleven months. Pete Buttigieg is the youngest secretary, taking office at 39 years 15 days old, overtaking Neil Goldschmidt as the youngest secretary, taking office at 39 years 3 months old,[7] while Norman Mineta was the oldest, retiring at age 74.[8] In April 2008, Mary Peters launched the official blog of the secretary of transportation called The Fast Lane.[9] On January 23, 2009, the 16th secretary, Ray LaHood, took office, serving under the administration of Democrat Barack Obama; he had previously been a Republican Congressman from Illinois for fourteen years.[10]
.jpg){kind=spacer}
.jpg)
.jpg)
