| President Bush's Cabinet - 2001 |
| No. | Department | Year Established | Notes | Nominee |
| 1 |
State |
1789 |
Originally named Department of Foreign Affairs but redesignated Department of State in 1789 |
Gen. Colin Powell |
| 2 |
Treasury |
1789 |
Expanded through a subsequent series of statutes |
Paul O'Neill |
| 3 |
Interior |
1849 |
Created by the merger of the General Land Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pension Office, and Patent Office |
Gale Norton |
| 4 |
Agriculture |
1862 |
Originally administered by a commissioner, the department saw its powers expand in 1889 |
Ann Veneman |
| 5 |
Justice/Attorney General |
1870 |
Before 1870 the attorney general was a cabinet officer but not head of a department |
John Ashcroft |
| 6 |
Labor |
1913 |
Originally a bureau within the Department of Interior, it became an independent department in 1913 |
Elaine ChaoLinda Chavez (withdrew) |
| 7 |
Commerce |
1913 |
Designated a department when the Department of Commerce and Labor, created in 1903, was reorganised |
Don Evans |
| 8 |
Defense |
1949 |
After several reorganisations, the original Departments of War (1789) and Navy (1798) were merged into the Department of Defence |
Donald Rumsfeld |
| 9 |
Health and Human Services |
1953 |
Established as the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare but redesignated Health and Human Services when Education was made a separate department in 1979 |
Tommy Thompson |
| 10 |
Housing and Urban Affairs |
1965 |
Created by combining agencies responsible for housing, including the Housing and Home Finance Agency, with those involved in urban development |
Mel Martinez |
| 11 |
Transportation |
1966 |
Created out of eight existing agencies |
Norman Y. Mineta |
| 12 |
Energy |
1977 |
Created by transferring existing energy agencies and bureaus to the new department |
Spencer Abraham |
| 13 |
Education |
1979 |
Originally the Office of Education in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare |
Rod Paige |
| 14 |
Veterans Affairs |
1988 |
Created by elevating the Veterans Administration to cabinet-level status |
Anthony Principi |