1978: NOAA announces gender-neutral hurricane naming system
Federal News Network presents a daily update of important moments in the history of the U.S. government.
The Commerce Department, established to promote national economic growth, was originally created as the Department of Commerce and Labor on Feb. 14, 1903. It was subsequently renamed the Department of Commerce on March 4, 1913, as the bureaus and agencies specializing in labor were transferred to the new Labor Department. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was transferred from the Interior Department into Commerce, and the Federal Employment Stabilization Office existed within the department from 1931 to 1939. In 1940, the Weather Bureau — now the National Weather Service — was transferred from the Agriculture Department, and the Civil Aeronautics Authority was merged into the department. In 1949, the Public Roads Administration was added to the department due to the dissolution of the Federal Works Agency. In 1958, the independent Federal Aviation Agency was created and the Civil Aeronautics Authority was abolished. Past Commerce secretaries include Herbert Hoover, for whom the Washington, D.C., headquarters building is named and who served in the role for the Harding administration from 1921 to 1928, when he was elected president.
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