The Assistant Secretary of the Navy (AIR) was a civilian office of the United States Department of the Navy

United States Department of the Navy

The Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...

. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy (AIR) initially reported to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy

Assistant Secretary of the Navy

Assistant Secretary of the Navy is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy....

 and later to the Under Secretary of the Navy

Under Secretary of the Navy

The Under Secretary of the Navy is the second-highest ranking civilian official in the United States Department of the Navy. The Under Secretary, called the "Under" in Pentagon slang, reports to the Secretary of the Navy ....

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With the emergence of naval aviation

Naval aviation

Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies, including ships that embark fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. In contrast, maritime aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of non-naval forces such as the former RAF Coastal Command or a...

 as a major new military technique, the Navy had increasingly large organizations to oversee it. From 1910, there was an Officer in Charge of Aviation, then a Director of Naval Aeronautics, then in 1916 a Director of Naval Aviation. In 1921, Congress replaced those with a Bureau of Aeronautics. Finally, on June 24, 1926, Congress created the position of Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Aeronautics to oversee the United States' naval aviation forces. The position was vacant from 1932 until 1941, and upon being re-occupied, the position was re-titled Assistant Secretary of the Navy (AIR) on September 11, 1941.

On February 6, 1959, the office was redesignated Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research and Development). In April 1977, the name was changed to Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Engineering and Systems).

The office was disestablished in 1990, when the office was merged with the office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Shipbuilding and Logistics)

Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Shipbuilding and Logistics)

The Assistant Secretary of the Navy was a civilian office in the United States Department of the Navy. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy oversaw the building of ships for the United States Navy and other logistical matters.The office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy was abolished in 1990,...

 to create the new office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisitions)

Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisitions)

The Assistant Secretary of the Navy is a civilian office of the United States Department of the Navy...

.

Assistant Secretaries of the Navy for Aeronautics, 1926—1932

Name	Assumed office	Left office	President President of the United States The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....  appointed by	Secretary United States Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...  served under
Edward Pearson Warner Edward Pearson Warner Edward Pearson Warner was an American pioneer in aviation and a teacher in aeronautical engineering...	July 7, 1926	March 15, 1929	Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...	Curtis D. Wilbur Curtis D. Wilbur Curtis Dwight Wilbur was born in Iowa. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1884. Shortly after graduation, Curtis Wilbur resigned his commission, a common practice at the time, and moved to Riverside, California. He was admitted to the California bar in 1890 and served as Los...
David Sinton Ingalls David Sinton Ingalls David Sinton Ingalls, DSC and DFC was the only United States Navy Flying Ace of World War I, with six credited victories; thus he was the first ace in U. S. Navy history. He was the son of Albert S. Ingalls; his mother, Jane Taft, was the niece of President William Howard Taft...	March 16, 1929	June 1, 1932	Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...	Charles Francis Adams III Charles Francis Adams III Charles Francis Adams III was the United States Secretary of the Navy under President Herbert Hoover and a well-known yachtsman.-Life:...

Assistant Secretaries of the Navy (AIR), 1941—1959

Name	Assumed office	Left office	President President of the United States The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....  appointed by	Secretary United States Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...  served under
Artemus Gates Artemus Gates Artemus Lamb Gates was an American businessman, naval aviator, and Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air in charge of naval aviation efforts in World War II . He also was briefly Undersecretary of the Navy...	September 5, 1941	June 30, 1945	Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...	Frank Knox Frank Knox -External links:... , James Forrestal James Forrestal James Vincent Forrestal was the last Cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense....
John L. Sullivan John L. Sullivan (Navy) John Lawrence Sullivan was Assistant Secretary of the Navy 1946-47 and the first Department of Defense Secretary of the Navy in the Truman Administration 1947-49. He was appointed to that position upon Secretary Forrestal's installation as the first Secretary of Defense. He resigned in protest...	July 5, 1945	June 17, 1946	Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...	James Forrestal James Forrestal James Vincent Forrestal was the last Cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense....
John N. Brown John N. Brown John Nicholas Brown II was the United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1946 to 1949. He was a member of the Brown family that had been active in American life since before the American Revolution and who were the major early benefactors of Brown University.-Biography:He was born in New...	January 12, 1946	March 8, 1949	Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...	James Forrestal James Forrestal James Vincent Forrestal was the last Cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense.... , John L. Sullivan John L. Sullivan (Navy) John Lawrence Sullivan was Assistant Secretary of the Navy 1946-47 and the first Department of Defense Secretary of the Navy in the Truman Administration 1947-49. He was appointed to that position upon Secretary Forrestal's installation as the first Secretary of Defense. He resigned in protest...
Dan A. Kimball Dan A. Kimball Dan Able Kimball was the 50th U.S. Secretary of the Navy.-Biography:Kimball was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 1, 1896. He was an Army Air Service pilot during the First World War and maintained an intense interest in aviation thereafter...	March 9, 1949	May 24, 1949	Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...	John L. Sullivan John L. Sullivan (Navy) John Lawrence Sullivan was Assistant Secretary of the Navy 1946-47 and the first Department of Defense Secretary of the Navy in the Truman Administration 1947-49. He was appointed to that position upon Secretary Forrestal's installation as the first Secretary of Defense. He resigned in protest...
John F. Floberg John F. Floberg John Forrest Floberg was the United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1949 to 1953.-Biography:Born in 1915, John F. Floberg was a lawyer...	December 5, 1949	July 23, 1953	Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...	Francis P. Matthews Francis P. Matthews Francis Patrick Matthews served as 49th United States Secretary of the Navy, during the administration of President Harry Truman. Matthews served during most of Truman's second term, from May 25, 1949 to July 31, 1951... , Dan A. Kimball Dan A. Kimball Dan Able Kimball was the 50th U.S. Secretary of the Navy.-Biography:Kimball was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 1, 1896. He was an Army Air Service pilot during the First World War and maintained an intense interest in aviation thereafter... , Robert B. Anderson
James H. Smith, Jr. James H. Smith, Jr. James Hopkins Smith, Jr. was United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1953 to 1956 and then was head of the United States Agency for International Development from 1957 to 1959.-Biography:...	July 23, 1953	June 20, 1956	Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...	Robert B. Anderson, Charles Thomas Charles Thomas (Secretary of the Navy) Charles S. Thomas was a U.S. administrator. He served as Secretary of the Navy between May 3, 1954 and April 1, 1957.Thomas was born in Independence, Missouri, attended the University of California and Cornell...
Garrison Norton Garrison Norton Garrison Norton was Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1956 to 1959.-Biography:Garrison Norton was born in Chicago, the son of Charles Dyer Norton and the former Katherine McKim Garrison. He was raised in Washington, D. C. and Manhattan and attended the Groton School...	July 7, 1956	February 5, 1959	Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...	Charles Thomas Charles Thomas (Secretary of the Navy) Charles S. Thomas was a U.S. administrator. He served as Secretary of the Navy between May 3, 1954 and April 1, 1957.Thomas was born in Independence, Missouri, attended the University of California and Cornell... , Thomas S. Gates, Jr.

Assistant Secretaries of the Navy (Research and Development), 1959—1977

Name	Assumed office	Left office	President President of the United States The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....  appointed by	Secretary United States Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...  served under
James H. Wakelin, Jr. James H. Wakelin, Jr. James Henry Wakelin, Jr. was a United States physicist, oceanographer, and businessman who served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1959 to 1964.-Early life and education:...	June 5, 1959	June 30, 1964	Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...	William B. Franke William B. Franke William Birrell Franke was United States Secretary of the Navy from 1959 to 1961 under Dwight D. Eisenhower. Franke was born in Troy, New York and attended Pace College... , John Connally John Connally John Bowden Connally, Jr. , was an influential American politician, serving as the 39th governor of Texas, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy, and as Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard M. Nixon. While he was Governor in 1963, Connally was a passenger in the car in... , Fred Korth Fred Korth Fred Korth served as Secretary of the Navy during 1962-63; he was also Assistant Secretary of the Army in 1952-53.... , Paul Nitze Paul Nitze Paul Henry Nitze was a high-ranking United States government official who helped shape Cold War defense policy over the course of numerous presidential administrations.-Early life, education, and family:...
Robert W. Morse Robert W. Morse Robert W. Morse was the first president of Case Western Reserve University.-Career:A native of Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of the class of 1943 at Bowdoin College, Morse received his master's degree and PHD in physics at Brown University before becoming a member of Brown's faculty in 1946...	July 1, 1964	June 30, 1966	Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...	Paul Nitze Paul Nitze Paul Henry Nitze was a high-ranking United States government official who helped shape Cold War defense policy over the course of numerous presidential administrations.-Early life, education, and family:...
David S. Potter David S. Potter David S. Potter was United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1973 to 1974 and Under Secretary of the Navy from 1974 to 1976. After he left public service, Potter was a long-time executive at General Motors.-Biography:David S. Potter was educated at Yale University, receiving a B.S...	September 14, 1973	August 16, 1974	Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...	John Warner John Warner John William Warner, KBE is an American Republican politician who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term United States Senator from Virginia from January 2, 1979, to January 3, 2009... , J. William Middendorf J. William Middendorf John William Middendorf II was a Republican United States diplomat.-Biography:Middendorf received a Bachelor of Naval Science from College of the Holy Cross in 1945. He served in the Navy just at the end of World War II as engineer officer and navigator of USS LCS 53, being mustered out in 1946...
H. Tyler Marcy H. Tyler Marcy H. Tyler Marcy , commonly known as Ty Marcy was an IBM executive who served as United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1974 to 1977.-Biography:...	October 15, 1974	April 4, 1977	Gerald Ford Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...	J. William Middendorf J. William Middendorf John William Middendorf II was a Republican United States diplomat.-Biography:Middendorf received a Bachelor of Naval Science from College of the Holy Cross in 1945. He served in the Navy just at the end of World War II as engineer officer and navigator of USS LCS 53, being mustered out in 1946...

Assistant Secretaries of the Navy (Research, Engineering and Systems), 1977—1990

Name	Assumed office	Left office	President President of the United States The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....  appointed by	Secretary United States Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...  served under
David E. Mann David E. Mann David E. Mann was United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1977 to 1981.-Biography:...	April 1977	January 1981	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...	W. Graham Claytor, Jr., Edward Hidalgo Edward Hidalgo Edward Hidalgo served as the United States Secretary of the Navy in the Carter administration from October 24, 1979 to January 20, 1981...
Gerald A. Cann Gerald A. Cann Gerald A. Cann was Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1981 and Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1990 to 1993.-Biography:...	January 1981	December 1981	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....	John Lehman John Lehman John F. Lehman, Jr. is an American investment banker and writer who served as Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration and in 2003–04 was a member of the 9/11 Commission....
Melvyn R. Paisley Melvyn R. Paisley Melvyn R. Paisley was United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1981 to 1987; in 1991, he admitted that while in office he had accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes and was sentenced to four years in prison.-Biography:Melvyn R. Paisley was born on October 9, 1924, in...	December 1981	March 1987	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....	John Lehman John Lehman John F. Lehman, Jr. is an American investment banker and writer who served as Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration and in 2003–04 was a member of the 9/11 Commission....