The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed
Gilbert Stuart Major General Henry Dearborn 1913.793 Art Institute of Chicago
Swearing in of Dwight F. Davis as Secretary of War in 1925. Former secretaries John W. Weeks and Chief Justice William Howard Taft are standing beside him.
General Benjamin Lincoln restored
Henry Knox by Gilbert Stuart 1806
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department, was the United States Cabinet department responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army. It also had respo
United States Secretary of War
…as the first president under the Constitution, he appointed Knox to continue serving as secretary of war. The secretary of war was the head of the War Department. At first, he was responsible for the United States Army and the Navy. In 1798, the secretary of the Navy was created by statute, and the scope of…
The State, War, and Navy Building in 1917