The Secretary of War was a member of the United States president's
Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar
position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had
been appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the
Articles of Confederation between 1781 and 1789. Benjamin Lincoln and
later Henry Knox held the position. When Washington was inaugurated 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 all military
affairs, including naval affairs. In 1798, the Secretary of the Navy
was created by statute, and the scope of responsibility for this
office was reduced to the affairs of the United States Army. From 1886
onward, the Secretary of War was in the line of succession to the
presidency, after the Vice President of the United States, the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the
Senate and the Secretary of State.In 1947, with the passing of the
National Security Act of 1947, the Secretary of War was replaced by
the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Air Force, which,
along with the Secretary of the Navy, have since 1949 been non-Cabinet
subordinates under the Secretary of Defense. The Secretary of the
Army's office is generally considered the direct successor to the
Secretary of War's office although the Secretary of Defense took the
Secretary of War's position in the Cabinet, and the line of succession
to the presidency.The office of Secretary at War was modelled upon
Great Britain's Secretary at War, who was William Barrington, 2nd
Viscount Barrington, at the time of the American Revolution. The
office of Secretary at War was meant to replace both the
commander-in-chief and the Board of War, and like the president of the
board, the secretary wore no special insignia. The Inspector General,
quartermaster general, Commissary General, and Adjutant General served
on the Secretary's staff. However, the Army itself under Secretary
Henry Knox only consisted of 700 men. United States Secretary of War Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter