In the administration of Joe Biden, the current chief of staff is Jeff Zients, who succeeded Ron Klain on February 8, 2023. The chief of staff is the most senior political appointee in the White House. The position is widely recognized as one of great power and influence, owing to daily contact with the president of the United States and control of the Executive Office of the President of the United States.
Originally, the duties now performed by the chief of staff belonged to the president's private secretary and were fulfilled by crucial confidantes and policy advisers such as George B. Cortelyou, Joseph Tumulty, and Louis McHenry Howe to presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Roosevelt, respectively.[1] The private secretary served as the president's de facto chief aide, in a role that combined personal and professional assignments of highly delicate and demanding natures, requiring great skill and utmost discretion.[2] The job of gatekeeper and overseeing the president's schedule was separately delegated to the appointments secretary, as with aide Edwin "Pa" Watson.[3]
From 1933 to 1939, as he greatly expanded the scope of the federal government's policies and powers in response to the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt relied on his famous 'Brain Trust' of top advisers. Although working directly for the president, they were often appointed to vacant positions in federal agencies and departments, whence they drew their salaries since the White House lacked statutory or budgetary authority to create staff positions. It was not until 1939, during Roosevelt's second term in office, that the foundations of the modern White House staff were created using a formal structure. Roosevelt was able to persuade Congress to approve the creation of the Executive Office of the President, which would report directly to the president. During World War II, Roosevelt created the position of "Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief" for his principal military adviser, Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy.[citation needed]
In 1946, in response to the rapid growth of the U.S. government's executive branch, the position of "Assistant to the President of the United States" was established. Charged with the affairs of the White House, it was the immediate predecessor to the modern chief of staff. It was in 1953, under Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower, that the president's preeminent assistant was designated the "White House Chief of Staff".[citation needed]
Assistant to the president became a rank generally shared by the chief of staff along with the other most senior presidential aides such as the White House counsel, the White House press secretary, and others. This new system did not catch on immediately however. Presidents Kennedy and Johnson still relied on their appointments secretaries instead, and it was not until the Nixon administration that the chief of staff took over maintenance of the President's schedule. This concentration of power in the Nixon and Ford White House (whose last chief of staff was Dick Cheney) led presidential candidate Jimmy Carter to campaign in 1976 with the promise that he would not appoint a chief of staff. And indeed, for the first two and a half years of his presidency, he appointed no one to the post.[4][5]
Chris Whipple, author of The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, loosely describes the role of a White House chief of staff through his interview with former president Barack Obama:
"During the last days of his presidency, Barack Obama observed: 'One of the things I've learned is that the big breakthroughs are typically the result of a lot of grunt work—just a whole lot of blocking and tackling.' Grunt work is what chiefs of staff do."[6]
— Chris Whipple
The responsibilities of the chief of staff are both managerial and advisory and may include the following:
Selecting senior White House staffers and supervising their offices' activities;
Managing and designing the overall structure of the White House staff system;
Directing, managing and overseeing all policy development;
Protecting the political interests of the president;
Negotiating legislation and appropriating funds with United States Congress leaders, Cabinet secretaries, and extra-governmental political groups to implement the president's agenda; and
Advise on any and usually various issues set by the president.[6]
These responsibilities have recently extended to firing of senior staff members. In the case of Omarosa Manigault Newman, who published a tape she alleged was made in the Situation Room of her firing by Chief of Staff John Kelly, the chief of staff said that his decision for her departure was non-negotiable and that "the staff and everyone on the staff works for me and not the president."[7]
Richard Nixon's first chief of staff, H. R. Haldeman, garnered a reputation in Washington for the iron hand he wielded in the position—famously referring to himself as "the president's son-of-a-bitch", he was a rigid gatekeeper who would frequently meet with administration officials in place of the president, and then report himself to Nixon on the officials' talking points. Journalist Bob Woodward, in his books All the President's Men (1974) and The Secret Man (2005), wrote that many of his sources, including Mark Felt, later revealed as "Deep Throat", displayed a genuine fear of Haldeman.[8][9]
^Woodward, Bob. (2005). The Secret Man. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN0-7432-8715-0
^Phil Mattingly; Kaitlan Collins (January 22, 2023). "Jeff Zients to replace Ron Klain as White House chief of staff". CNN. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
May 13, 2023
white, house, chief, staff, white, house, chief, staff, head, executive, office, president, united, states, cabinet, position, federal, government, united, states, incumbentjeff, zientssince, february, 2023executive, office, presidentwhite, house, officereport. The White House chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a cabinet position in the federal government of the United States White House Chief of StaffIncumbentJeff Zientssince February 8 2023Executive Office of the PresidentWhite House OfficeReports toPresident of the United StatesAppointerPresident of the United StatesFormation1946 Assistant to the President 1961 White House Chief of Staff First holderJohn R SteelmanWebsitewww wbr whitehouse wbr govPresident Joe Biden walks with Chief of Staff Ron Klain along the Colonnade of the White House Chief of Staff Jack Watson 1980 1981 meets with President Jimmy Carter in the Oval Office President George H W Bush sits at his desk in the Oval Office Study as Chief of Staff John Sununu stands nearby Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks into the Oval Office as President Donald Trump reads over his notes President Barack Obama meets with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in the Oval Office The chief of staff is a political appointee of the president of the United States who does not require Senate confirmation and who serves at the pleasure of the President While not a legally required role all presidents since Harry S Truman have appointed a chief of staff In the administration of Joe Biden the current chief of staff is Jeff Zients who succeeded Ron Klain on February 8 2023 The chief of staff is the most senior political appointee in the White House The position is widely recognized as one of great power and influence owing to daily contact with the president of the United States and control of the Executive Office of the President of the United States Contents 1 Historical background 1 1 Average tenure in office 2 Role 3 List of White House chiefs of staff 4 See also 5 Notes 6 ReferencesHistorical background EditOriginally the duties now performed by the chief of staff belonged to the president s private secretary and were fulfilled by crucial confidantes and policy advisers such as George B Cortelyou Joseph Tumulty and Louis McHenry Howe to presidents Theodore Roosevelt Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt respectively 1 The private secretary served as the president s de facto chief aide in a role that combined personal and professional assignments of highly delicate and demanding natures requiring great skill and utmost discretion 2 The job of gatekeeper and overseeing the president s schedule was separately delegated to the appointments secretary as with aide Edwin Pa Watson 3 From 1933 to 1939 as he greatly expanded the scope of the federal government s policies and powers in response to the Great Depression President Franklin D Roosevelt relied on his famous Brain Trust of top advisers Although working directly for the president they were often appointed to vacant positions in federal agencies and departments whence they drew their salaries since the White House lacked statutory or budgetary authority to create staff positions It was not until 1939 during Roosevelt s second term in office that the foundations of the modern White House staff were created using a formal structure Roosevelt was able to persuade Congress to approve the creation of the Executive Office of the President which would report directly to the president During World War II Roosevelt created the position of Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief for his principal military adviser Fleet Admiral William D Leahy citation needed In 1946 in response to the rapid growth of the U S government s executive branch the position of Assistant to the President of the United States was established Charged with the affairs of the White House it was the immediate predecessor to the modern chief of staff It was in 1953 under Republican President Dwight D Eisenhower that the president s preeminent assistant was designated the White House Chief of Staff citation needed Assistant to the president became a rank generally shared by the chief of staff along with the other most senior presidential aides such as the White House counsel the White House press secretary and others This new system did not catch on immediately however Presidents Kennedy and Johnson still relied on their appointments secretaries instead and it was not until the Nixon administration that the chief of staff took over maintenance of the President s schedule This concentration of power in the Nixon and Ford White House whose last chief of staff was Dick Cheney led presidential candidate Jimmy Carter to campaign in 1976 with the promise that he would not appoint a chief of staff And indeed for the first two and a half years of his presidency he appointed no one to the post 4 5 Average tenure in office Edit The average tenure for a White House chief of staff is a little more than 18 months 6 The inaugural chief of staff John R Steelman under Harry S Truman was the president s only chief of staff Kenneth O Donnell alone served in the position during John F Kennedy s unfinished term of 34 months in office Andrew Card and Denis McDonough each served at least one entire presidential term of office under presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama respectively citation needed Role EditChris Whipple author of The Gatekeepers How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency loosely describes the role of a White House chief of staff through his interview with former president Barack Obama During the last days of his presidency Barack Obama observed One of the things I ve learned is that the big breakthroughs are typically the result of a lot of grunt work just a whole lot of blocking and tackling Grunt work is what chiefs of staff do 6 Chris Whipple The responsibilities of the chief of staff are both managerial and advisory and may include the following Selecting senior White House staffers and supervising their offices activities Managing and designing the overall structure of the White House staff system Control the flow of people into the Oval Office Manage the flow of information to and decisions from the Resolute Desk with the White House staff secretary Directing managing and overseeing all policy development Protecting the political interests of the president Negotiating legislation and appropriating funds with United States Congress leaders Cabinet secretaries and extra governmental political groups to implement the president s agenda and Advise on any and usually various issues set by the president 6 These responsibilities have recently extended to firing of senior staff members In the case of Omarosa Manigault Newman who published a tape she alleged was made in the Situation Room of her firing by Chief of Staff John Kelly the chief of staff said that his decision for her departure was non negotiable and that the staff and everyone on the staff works for me and not the president 7 Richard Nixon s first chief of staff H R Haldeman garnered a reputation in Washington for the iron hand he wielded in the position famously referring to himself as the president s son of a bitch he was a rigid gatekeeper who would frequently meet with administration officials in place of the president and then report himself to Nixon on the officials talking points Journalist Bob Woodward in his books All the President s Men 1974 and The Secret Man 2005 wrote that many of his sources including Mark Felt later revealed as Deep Throat displayed a genuine fear of Haldeman 8 9 List of White House chiefs of staff EditNo Portrait Name Took office Left office Time in office Party President1 Steelman John John Steelman 1900 1999 December 12 1946January 20 19536 years 39 daysDemocraticHarry S Truman2 Adams Sherman Sherman Adams 1899 1986 January 20 1953October 7 19585 years 260 daysRepublicanDwight D Eisenhower3 Persons Wilton Wilton Persons 1896 1977 October 7 1958January 20 19612 years 105 daysRepublicanDwight D Eisenhower O Donnell Kenneth Kenneth O Donnell 1924 1977 a January 20 1961November 22 19632 years 306 daysDemocraticJohn F Kennedy Jenkins Walter Walter Jenkins 1918 1985 a November 22 1963October 14 1964327 daysDemocraticLyndon B Johnson Moyers Bill Bill Moyers born 1934 a October 14 1964July 8 1965267 daysDemocraticLyndon B Johnson Valenti Jack Jack Valenti 1921 2007 a July 8 1965June 1 1966328 daysDemocraticLyndon B Johnson Watson Marvin Marvin Watson 1924 2017 a June 1 1966April 26 19681 year 330 daysDemocraticLyndon B Johnson Jones James James R Jones born 1939 a April 26 1968January 20 1969269 daysDemocraticLyndon B Johnson4 Haldeman Harry H R Haldeman 1926 1993 January 20 1969April 30 19734 years 100 daysRepublicanRichard NixonVacantApril 30 1973 May 4 1973 4 days 5 Haig Alexander Alexander Haig 1924 2010 May 4 1973September 21 19741 year 140 daysRepublicanRichard NixonGerald Ford6 Rumsfeld Donald Donald Rumsfeld 1932 2021 September 21 1974November 20 19751 year 60 daysRepublicanGerald Ford7 Cheney Dick Dick Cheney born 1941 November 20 1975January 20 19771 year 61 daysRepublicanGerald FordVacantJanuary 20 1977 July 18 1979 2 years 179 days 8 Jordan Hamilton Hamilton Jordan 1944 2008 July 18 1979June 11 1980329 daysDemocraticJimmy Carter9 Watson Jack Jack Watson born 1938 June 11 1980January 20 1981223 daysDemocraticJimmy Carter10 Baker James James Baker born 1930 January 20 1981February 4 19854 years 15 daysRepublicanRonald Reagan11 Regan Donald Donald Regan 1918 2003 February 4 1985February 27 19872 years 23 daysRepublicanRonald Reagan12 Baker Howard Howard Baker 1925 2014 February 27 1987July 1 19881 year 125 daysRepublicanRonald Reagan13 Duberstein Kenneth Kenneth Duberstein 1944 2022 July 1 1988January 20 1989203 daysRepublicanRonald Reagan14 Sununu John John Sununu born 1939 January 20 1989December 16 19912 years 330 daysRepublicanGeorge H W Bush15 Skinner Samuel Samuel Skinner born 1938 December 16 1991August 23 1992251 daysRepublicanGeorge H W Bush16 Baker James James Baker born 1930 August 23 1992January 20 1993150 daysRepublicanGeorge H W Bush17 McLarty Mack Mack McLarty born 1946 January 20 1993July 17 19941 year 178 daysDemocraticBill Clinton18 Panetta Leon Leon Panetta born 1938 July 17 1994January 20 19972 years 187 daysDemocraticBill Clinton19 Bowles Erskine Erskine Bowles born 1945 January 20 1997October 20 19981 year 273 daysDemocraticBill Clinton20 Podesta John John Podesta born 1949 October 20 1998January 20 20012 years 92 daysDemocraticBill Clinton21 Card Andrew Andrew Card born 1947 January 20 2001April 14 20065 years 84 daysRepublicanGeorge W Bush22 Bolten Joshua Joshua Bolten born 1954 April 14 2006January 20 20092 years 281 daysRepublicanGeorge W Bush23 Emanuel Rahm Rahm Emanuel born 1959 January 20 2009October 1 20101 year 254 daysDemocraticBarack Obama Rouse Pete Pete Rouse born 1946 Acting b October 1 2010January 13 2011104 daysDemocraticBarack Obama24 Daley Bill Bill Daley born 1948 January 13 2011January 27 20121 year 14 daysDemocraticBarack Obama25 Lew Jack Jack Lew born 1955 January 27 2012January 20 2013359 daysDemocraticBarack Obama26 McDonough Denis Denis McDonough born 1969 January 20 2013January 20 20174 years 0 daysDemocraticBarack Obama27 Priebus Reince Reince Priebus born 1972 January 20 2017July 31 2017192 daysRepublicanDonald Trump28 Kelly John John F Kelly born 1950 July 31 2017January 2 20191 year 154 daysIndependentDonald Trump Mulvaney Mick Mick Mulvaney born 1967 ActingJanuary 2 2019March 31 20201 year 89 daysRepublicanDonald Trump29 Meadows Mark Mark Meadows born 1959 March 31 2020January 20 2021295 daysRepublicanDonald Trump30 Klain Ron Ron Klain born 1961 January 20 2021February 7 20232 years 18 daysDemocraticJoe Biden31 Zients Jeff Jeff Zients 10 born 1966 February 8 2023Incumbent89 daysDemocraticJoe BidenSee also EditChief of staff White House Deputy Chief of Staff Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States Officer of the United States Staff and lineNotes Edit a b c d e f De facto Pete Rouse served as ad interim White House Chief of Staff following the resignation of Rahm Emanuel and until the appointment of Bill Daley References Edit New Quarters Time December 17 1934 Archived from the original on January 20 2009 Retrieved May 8 2008 An Appointment Time August 20 1923 Archived from the original on December 22 2008 Retrieved May 9 2009 Hassett William D 1958 Off The Record With FDR 1942 1945 Chicago Illinois Rutgers University Press p 36 Retrieved May 9 2009 Hamilton Jordan Carter s Right Hand Dies at 63 The New York Times May 21 2008 Retrieved March 7 2016 Michael Nelson 2013 The Presidency and the Political System SAGE Publications p 351 ISBN 9781483322896 Retrieved March 7 2016 a b c Whipple Chris 2017 The Gatekeepers How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency New York Crown Publishing Group Transcript CNN August 13 2018 Woodward Bob Bernstein Carl 1974 All the President s Men New York Simon amp Schuster ISBN 978 0 671 21781 5 Woodward Bob 2005 The Secret Man New York Simon amp Schuster ISBN 0 7432 8715 0 Phil Mattingly Kaitlan Collins January 22 2023 Jeff Zients to replace Ron Klain as White House chief of staff CNN Retrieved January 22 2023 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title White House Chief of Staff amp oldid 1153007194, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
