United States Secretary of the Treasury

The Secretary of the Treasury is a Cabinet member charged with developing fiscal policy for the United States of America and overseeing the Department of the Treasury. The position was established in 1789, giving it the distinction of being the second oldest Cabinet positions. The first and most influential secreatry was Alexander Hamilton (1789-1794), who established the new nation's finances on a sound bases, and to provide political support created the world's first voter-based political party, the Federalist Party, using the Treasury's national network of supporters.

In countries using a parliamentary form of government, this position is generally known as the Minister of Finance; Britain calls it the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Secretary is fifth in the line of succession to the Presidency. The current Secretary is Henry Paulson.