Executive Order 13542: Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Agriculture
President: Barack Obama
Specified the order in which eligible Agriculture officials could act as Secretary during a vacancy or absence.
Status: Revoked.
Is Executive Order 13542 still in effect? No. Revoked and replaced by EO 13612 in 2012.
What does Executive Order 13542 do?
EO 13542 listed Senate-confirmed and other eligible Agriculture officials for temporary service, subject to vacancy law and presidential discretion. It did not itself appoint an acting secretary. EO 13612 replaced and expressly revoked it two years later.
Before and after
Before the order
An earlier departmental succession order supplied the sequence.
After the order
The 2010 list governed until replaced by EO 13612.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Listed officials | Serve when legally eligible and reached | Historical |
| Agriculture Department | Maintain continuity plans | Continues under later order |
| President | Retain lawful designation discretion | Continuing |
What happened next
EO 13542 issued.
EO 13612 revoked and replaced it.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Appointments Clause, department law and Vacancies Reform Act control acting service.
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.
- U.S. Code — Federal Vacancies Reform Act (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 15, 2026. How we research →