Executive Order 13241: Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Agriculture
President: George W. Bush
Set a ten-office line of succession to act as Agriculture Secretary when both the Secretary and Deputy Secretary had died, resigned or become unable to serve, subject to presidential discretion and federal vacancies law.
Status: Revoked.
Is Executive Order 13241 still in effect? No. Revoked May 13, 2010; successor order established.
What does Executive Order 13241 do?
The order assigned these duties: Listed Agriculture officials — Act as Secretary in the stated sequence after the Secretary and Deputy Secretary are unavailable; President — Retain authority to depart from the sequence as vacancies law permits.
Compared the succession sequence and acting-capacity limit with the signed orders. Verified EO 13261’s amendment, EO 13484’s revision and EO 13542’s express revocation and replacement in 2010.
Before and after
Before the order
EO 11957 supplied the earlier Agriculture succession line.
After the order
EO 13241 replaced EO 11957. EO 13261 amended the rule so an official merely acting in a listed office could not become acting Secretary by that route. EO 13484 revised the list in 2009, and EO 13542 revoked EO 13241 and supplied a new succession order in 2010.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Listed Agriculture officials | Act as Secretary in the stated sequence after the Secretary and Deputy Secretary are unavailable | During a qualifying vacancy or inability |
| President | Retain authority to depart from the sequence as vacancies law permits | Case by case |
| Agriculture Department | Apply eligibility and acting-capacity restrictions | Whenever the order is invoked |
What happened next
EO 13241 signed.
EO 13241 replaced EO 11957.
EO 13261 clarified the acting-capacity restriction.
EO 13484 revised the succession list.
EO 13542 revoked EO 13241 and created a successor line.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Federal Vacancies Reform Act and department-specific statutes governed who could serve, for how long and with what authority. The order did not confer permanent appointment or bypass Senate confirmation. No order-specific merits judgment was located.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →