White House Chief of Staff
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The White House Chief of Staff is the highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President. It can be a very powerful position, and the Chief of Staff is sometimes dubbed "The Second-Most Powerful Man in Washington".
Joshua B. Bolten has served as White House Chief of Staff since April 14, 2006.
Duties and History
Originally, the position of Chief of Staff was called Assistant to the President of the United States; the position was established in 1946 to take charge of affairs in the White House. In 1961, the position was renamed White House Chief of Staff.The duties of the White House Chief of Staff can vary greatly from one administration to another, but generally he is responsible for overseeing the actions of other members of White House staff, managing the president's timetable, and controlling outsiders' access to the president. This last duty has earned the Chief of Staff the nicknames of "the gatekeeper" and "co-President". Informally, the Chief of Staff is often one of the President's closest political advisers, and also often a close personal friend.
Not every President has had a formal Chief of Staff. Kennedy did not, and Carter did not until the very end of his term. All Presidents (since Eisenhower) but Truman and Johnson have had multiple Chiefs of Staff. Due to the stressful and demanding nature of the job, the average term of service for a White House Chief of Staff is a little under two and a half years. Having said this, former Chief of Staff Andy Card ties with Sherman Adams for the second-longest service, at five years; the longest was John Steelman at six years.
Most White House Chiefs of Staff are former politicians, and many continue their political careers in other senior roles. Examples include Richard Nixon's Chief of Staff Alexander Haig who later became United States Secretary of State, Gerald Ford's Chief of Staff Dick Cheney, now Vice President of the United States, and Donald Rumsfeld, the current United States Secretary of Defense.
Some have suggested that a powerful Chief of Staff dealing with a "hands-off" president who decides not to become involved in the minutiæ of government, can become a quasi-prime minister. Such prime ministers exist in some presidential systems, such as in France and Russia, with the prime minister running the government and the president remaining somewhat aloof from the political process but setting broad policy goals. James Baker and Donald Regan were seen as prime ministerial-style chiefs of staff during the Reagan presidency. Howard Baker, who succeeded Regan, was critical of this system and what is sometimes called the Imperial Presidency.
By contrast, Andrew Card, President George W. Bush's first Chief of Staff, was not regarded as a very powerful figure, in large part because Bush deals directly with his Cabinet secretaries. Similarly, President Clinton's Chiefs of Staff were not particularly powerful, in part because Clinton's workaholic personality kept him in touch with his cabinet.
Fictional portrayal
- Actor John Spencer filled this position for over 5 seasons as Democrat Leo McGarry on the NBC drama, The West Wing. Television critics and political analysts alike have praised his performance as an accurate portrayal of the challenging position. He was replaced in Season Six by Press Secretary C.J. Cregg played by Allison Janney, a female. In real life no woman has ever been Chief of Staff. In the final episode in Season Seven, upon the inauguration of President Matt Santos, Josh Lyman (played by Bradley Whitford) became White House Chief of Staff
- Actor Jude Ciccolella plays Chief of Staff Mike Novick on the television show, 24 as does John Allen Nelson playing Walt Cummings, and D.B. Woodside playing Wayne Palmer.
- Actor Harry Joseph Lennix III plays Chief of Staff Jim Gardner on the television show, Commander in Chief.
- Actor Martin Sheen played Chief of Staff A.J. MacInerney in the 1995 film, The American President.
- Actor Frank Langella played Chief of Staff Bob Alexander in the 1993 film Dave.
Deputy
The Chief of Staff is assisted by one or more Deputy White House Chiefs of Staff.
Joel Kaplan, Joe Hagin, and Karl Rove currently have this title. Mr. Hagin is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Mr. Kaplan for Policy. Karl Rove held the policy position until April 19, 2006 when White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten added his former Deputy Director of OMB to the Deputies list.
Bradley Whitford won an Emmy for his role on The West Wing as the Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman) (Although, in the show, Lyman is the only Deputy Chief of Staff referred to as such, his full title — "Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Planning" — suggests that there may be other Deputies).
List of White House Chiefs of Staff
| Chief | President | Years |
|---|---|---|
| John R. Steelman | Harry Truman | 1946 - 1952 |
| Sherman Adams | Dwight Eisenhower | 1953 - 1958 |
| Wilton Persons | 1958 - 1961 | |
| vacant | John Kennedy | 1961 - 1963 |
| W. Marvin Watson | Lyndon Johnson | 1963 - 1968 |
| H. R. Haldeman | Richard Nixon | 1969 - 1973 |
| Alexander Haig | 1973 - 1974 | |
| Donald Rumsfeld | Gerald Ford | 1974 - 1975 |
| Dick Cheney | 1975 - 1977 | |
| vacant | Jimmy Carter | 1977 - 1979 |
| Hamilton Jordan | 1979 - 1980 | |
| Jack Watson | 1980 - 1981 | |
| James Baker | Ronald Reagan | 1981 - 1985 |
| Donald Regan | 1985 - 1987 | |
| Howard Baker | 1987 - 1988 | |
| Kenneth Duberstein | 1988 - 1989 | |
| John H. Sununu | George H. W. Bush | 1989 - 1991 |
| Samuel K. Skinner | 1991 - 1992 | |
| James Baker | 1992 - 1993 | |
| Mack McLarty | Bill Clinton | 1993 - 1994 |
| Leon Panetta | 1994 - 1997 | |
| Erskine Bowles | 1997 - 1998 | |
| John Podesta | 1998 - 2001 | |
| Andrew Card | George W. Bush | 2001 - 2006 |
| Joshua B. Bolten | 2006 - Present |
See also
External links
- ["Bolten to Replace Card As Chief of Staff"] on Yahoo! news
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