The Commandant of the Marine Corps, under the Secretary of the Navy, commanded the U.S. Marine Corps. He was directly responsible to the Secretary of the Navy for its administration, discipline, internal organization, training, requirements, efficiency, readiness, operation of its material support system, and for the total performance of the Marine Corps. When performing these functions, the Commandant of the Marine Corps was not a part of the command structure of the Chief of Naval Operations (OCNO). An act of 1952 (66 Stat. 282), June 28, 1952, authorized the Commandant of the Marine Corps to meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a co-equal whenever matters of concern to the Marine Corps were under consideration. An act of October 28, 1978, (92 Stat. 1622) made the Commandant a permanent participating member of the JCS.
Commandants of the Marine Corps were : Samuel Nicholas, November 28, 1775 - August 27, 1783; William W. Burrows, JUly 12, 1798 - March 6, 1804; Franklin Wharton, March 7, 1804 - September 1, 1818; Archibald Henderson (acting), September 16, 1818 - March 2, 1819; Anthony Gale, March 3, 1819 - October 8, 1820; Archibald Henderson, October 17, 1820 - January 6, 1859; John Harris, January 7, 1859 - May 1, 1864; Jacob Zeilin, June 10, 1864 - October 31, 1876; Charles G. McCawley, November 1, 1876 - January 29, 1891; Charles Heywood, June 30, 1891 - October 2, 1903; George F. Elliott, October 3, 1903 - November 30, 1910; William P. Biddle, February 3, 1911 - February 24, 1914; George Barnett, February 25, 1914 - June 30, 1920; John A. Lejeune, July 1, 1920 - March 4, 1929; Wendall C. Neville, March 5, 1929 - July 8, 1930; Ben H. Fuller, July 9, 1930 - February 28, 1934; John H. Russell, Jr., March 1, 1934 - November 30, 1936; Thomas Holcomb, December 1, 1936 - December 31, 1943; Alexander A. Vandegrift, January 1, 1944 - December 31, 1947; Clifton B. Cates, January 1, 1948 - December 31, 1951; Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., January 1, 1952 - December 31, 1955; Randolph M. Pate, January 1, 1956 - December 31, 1959; David M. Shoup, January 1, 1960 - December 31, 1963; Wallace M. Greene, Jr., January 1, 1964 - December 31, 1967; Leonard F. Chapman, Jr., January 1, 1968 - December 31, 1971; Robert Everton Cushman, Jr., January 1, 1972 - June 30, 1975; Louis H. Wilson, Jr., July 1, 1975 - June 30, 1979; Robert H. Barrow, July 1, 1979 - June 30, 1983; Paul X. Kelley, July 1, 1983 - June 30, 1987; Alfred M. Gray, Jr., July 1, 1987 - June 30, 1991; 30. Carl E. Mundy, Jr., July 1, 1991 - June 30, 1995; Charles C. Krulak, July 1, 1995 - June 30, 1999; James L. Jones, July 1, 1999 - January 12, 2003; Michael W. Hagee, January 13, 2003 - November 13, 2006; James T. Conway, November 14, 2006 - .
