White House Chief of Staff

The White House Chief of Staff is the highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States.

It can be a very powerful position, and the Chief of Staff is sometimes even dubbed "The Most Powerful Man in Washington." Some have even 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, with the Prime Minister de facto running the system of government and the President standing back and setting broad policy agendas. James Baker and Donald Regan were seen as prime ministerial-style Chiefs of Staff during the Reagan presidency. Howard Baker[?], who suceeded Regan, was critical of this system and what is sometimes called the Imperial Presidency.

By contrast, Andrew Card, the Chief of Staff within the administration of George W. Bush is not regarded as a very powerful figure, in large part because Bush appears to deal directly with his Cabinet secretaries.

The duties of the position can vary greatly from administration to administration, but generally the Chief of Staff is responsible 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 often earned the Chief of Staff the nickname of the "Gatekeeper."

Informally, the Chief of Staff is often one of the President's closest political advisors, and a close friend.

Not every President has had a formal Chief of Staff. Presidents Kennedy and Johnson never did, nor did President Carter until the very end of his term.

White House Chiefs of Staff:

Name	term	President served under
Sherman Adams[?]	1953 - 1958	Dwight Eisenhower
H. R. Haldeman	1969 - 1973	Richard Nixon
Alexander Haig	1973 - 1974	Richard Nixon
Donald Rumsfeld	1974 - 1975	Gerald Ford
Dick Cheney	1975 - 1977	Gerald Ford
Hamilton Jordan	1979 - 1980	Jimmy Carter
Jack Watson[?]	1980 - 1981	Jimmy Carter
James Baker	1981 - 1985	Ronald Reagan
Donald Regan	1985 - 1987	Ronald Reagan
Howard Baker[?]	1987 - 1988	Ronald Reagan
Kenneth Duberstein[?]	1988 - 1989	Ronald Reagan
John H. Sununu	1989 - 1991	Ronald Reagan
Samuel Skinner	1991 - 1992	George H. W. Bush
James Baker	1992 - 1993	George H. W. Bush
Mack McLarty[?]	1993 - 1994	Bill Clinton
Leon Panetta[?]	1994 - 1997	Bill Clinton
Erskine Bowles[?]	1997 - 1998	Bill Clinton
John Podesta[?]	1998 - 2001	Bill Clinton
Andrew Card	2001 - present	George W. Bush