The SEC has five Commissioners who are appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate. Their terms last five years and are staggered so that one Commissioner’s term ends on June 5 of each year. To ensure that the SEC remains non-partisan, no more than three Commissioners may belong to the same political party. The President also designates one of the Commissioners as Chairman, the SEC’s top executive.
| President | Commissioner | Dates of Service as Commissioner | Dates of Service as Chairman |
| ROOSEVELT | Joseph P. Kennedy | 1934-35 | 1934-35 |
George C. Mathews | 1934-40 | – | |
| James M. Landis | 1934-37 | 1935-37 | |
| Robert E. Healy | 1934-46 | – | |
| Ferdinand Pecora | 1934-35 | – | |
| J.D. Ross | 1935-37 | – | |
William O. Douglas | 1936-39 | 1937-39 | |
| Jerome N. Frank | 1937-41 | 1939-41 | |
| John W. Hanes | 1938 | – | |
| Edward C. Eicher | 1938-42 | 1941-42 | |
| Leon Henderson | 1939-41 | – | |
| Sumner T. Pike | 1940-46 | – | |
| Ganson Purcell | 1941-46 | 1942-46 | |
Edmund Burke, Jr. | 1941-43 | – | |
| Robert H. O’Brien | 1942-44 | – | |
Robert K. McConnaughey | 1943-49 | – | |
| James J. Caffrey | 1945-47 | 1946-47 | |
| TRUMAN | Richard B. McEntire | 1946-53 | – |
Edmond M. Hanrahan | 1946-49 | 1948-49 | |
Harry A. McDonald | 1947-52 | 1949-52 | |
| Paul R. Rowen | 1948-55 | – | |
| Donald C. Cook | 1949-53 | 1952-53 | |
Edward T. McCormick | 1949-51 | – | |
| Robert I. Millonzi | 1951-52 | – | |
Clarence H. Adams | 1952-56 | – | |
J. Howard Rossbach | 1952-53 | – | |
| EISENHOWER | Ralph H. Demmler | 1953-55 | 1953-55 |
J. Sinclair Armstrong | 1953-57 | 1955-57 | |
| A.J. Goodwin, Jr. | 1953-55 | – | |
Andrew Downey Orrick | 1955-60 | – | |
Harold C. Patterson | 1955-60 | – | |
| Earl F. Hastings | 1956-61 | – | |
| James C. Sargent | 1956-60 | – | |
| Edward N. Gadsby | 1957-61 | 1957-61 | |
Byron D. Woodside | 1960-67 | – | |
Daniel J. McCauley | 1960-61 | – | |
| KENNEDY | J. Allen Frear, Jr. | 1961-63 | – |
| William L. Cary | 1961-64 | 1961-64 | |
| Manuel F. Cohen | 1961-69 | 1964-69 | |
| Jack M. Whitney II | 1961-64 | – | |
| JOHNSON | Hugh F. Owens | 1964-73 | – |
| Hamer H. Budge | 1964-71 | 1969-71 | |
| Francis M. Wheat | 1964-69 | – | |
| Richard B. Smith | 1967-71 | – | |
| NIXON | James J. Needham | 1969-72 | – |
Albert Sydney Herlong | 1969-73 | – | |
| William J. Casey | 1971-73 | 1971-73 | |
Philip A. Loomis, Jr. | 1971-82 | – | |
| John R. Evans | 1973-83 | – | |
| G. Bradford Cook | 1973 | 1973 | |
| Ray Garrett, Jr. | 1973-75 | 1973-75 | |
| A.A. Sommer, Jr. | 1973-76 | – | |
| Irving M. Pollack | 1974-80 | – | |
| FORD | Roderick M. Hills | 1975-77 | 1975-77 |
| CARTER | Harold M. Williams | 1977-81 | 1977-81 |
| Roberta S. Karmel | 1977-80 | ||
Stephen J. Friedman | 1980-81 | – | |
Barbara S. Thomas | 1980-83 | – | |
| REAGAN | John S.R. Shad | 1981-87 | 1981-87 |
| Bevis Longstreth | 1981-84 | – | |
James C. Treadway, Jr. | 1982-85 | – | |
| Charles C. Cox | 1983-89 | – | |
Charles L. Marinaccio | 1984-85 | – | |
| Aulana L. Peters | 1984-88 | – | |
Joseph A. Grundfest | 1985-90 | – | |
Edward H. Fleischman | 1986-92 | – | |
| David S. Ruder | 1987-89 | 1987-89 | |
| Mary L. Schapiro | 1988-94 | – | |
| BUSH | Richard C. Breeden | 1989-93 | 1989-93 |
Philip R. Lochner, Jr. | 1990-91 | – | |
| Richard Y. Roberts | 1990-95 | – | |
J. Carter Beese, Jr. | 1992-94 | – | |
| CLINTON | Arthur Levitt, Jr. | 1993-2001 | 1993-2001 |
| Steven Wallman | 1994-97 | – | |
Norman S. Johnson | 1996-2000 | – | |
| Isaac C. Hunt, Jr. | 1996-2001 | – | |
| Paul R. Carey | 1997-2001 | – | |
| Laura S. Unger | 1997-2002 | – | |
| BUSH | Harvey L. Pitt | 2001-03 | 2001-03 |
| Isaac C. Hunt | 2002-2002 | ||
| Cynthia Glassman | 2002-06 | – | |
| Paul Atkins | 2002-08 | – | |
| Roel Campos | 2002-07 | – | |
Harvey Goldschmid | 2002-05 | – | |
William H. Donaldson | 2003-05 | 2003-05 | |
| Christopher Cox | 2005-09 | 2005-09 | |
Annette L. Nazareth | 2005-08 | ||
| Kathleen L. Casey | 2006-11 | ||
| Luis A. Aguilar | 2008-15 | ||
| Troy A. Paredes | 2008-13 | ||
| Elisse B. Walter | 2008-13 | 2012-13 | |
| OBAMA | Mary L. Schapiro | 2009-12 | 2009-12 |
| Luis A. Aguilar | 2011-15 | ||
Daniel M. Gallagher | 2011-15 | ||
| Mary Jo White | 2013-17 | 2013-17 | |
Michael S. Powowar | 2013-18 | ||
| Kara M. Stein | 2013-19 | ||
| TRUMP | Jay Clayton (I), Chairman | 2017-2020 | 2017-2020 |
Robert J. Jackson Jr. (I) | 2018-2020 | ||
Hester M. Peirce (R) | 2018- | ||
Elad L. Roisman (R) | 2018-2022 | ||
| Allison H. Lee (D) | 2019-2022 | ||
Caroline A. Crenshaw (D) | 2020-2026 | ||
| BIDEN | Gary Gensler, Chair (D) | 2021-2025 | 2021-2025 |
| Mark T. Uyeda (R) | 2022- | ||
Jaime Lizárraga (D) | 2022-2025 | ||
| TRUMP | Paul Atkins (R) | 2025- | 2025- |