Government operations and workforce · Agency succession orders

Executive Order 13244: Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of the Interior

President: George W. Bush

Set a six-office line of succession to act as Interior Secretary when both the Secretary and Deputy Secretary were unavailable, subject to presidential discretion and federal vacancies law.

Status: Revoked.

Is Executive Order 13244 still in effect? No. Revoked April 14, 2020; successor order established.

What does Executive Order 13244 do?

The order assigned these duties: Listed Interior officials — Act as Secretary in the stated sequence; President — Depart from the order where vacancies law permits.

Checked the succession list, EO 13261 amendment and EO 13926. EO 13926 expressly revoked EO 13244 in 2020 and supplied a successor sequence; the guide keeps statutory vacancy limits separate.

SignedDecember 18, 2001
IssuerPresident George W. Bush
Lead agencies or officialsDepartment of the Interior and the President
Express timingApplied during a qualifying vacancy or inability until revoked

Before and after

Before the order

EO 11487 supplied the prior Interior succession sequence.

After the order

EO 13244 revoked EO 11487 and established a new sequence. EO 13261 amended the acting-capacity exception in 2002. EO 13926 revoked EO 13244 in 2020 and created a successor order that included several regional officials.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Listed Interior officialsAct as Secretary in the stated sequenceDuring a qualifying vacancy or inability
PresidentDepart from the order where vacancies law permitsCase by case
Interior DepartmentApply eligibility and acting-capacity restrictionsWhenever succession was required

What happened next

EO 13244 signed.

EO 13244 replaced EO 11487.

EO 13261 amended its acting-capacity exception.

EO 13926 revoked EO 13244 and established a new succession order.