head of a department

A person in charge of a department, whether it be in a business or industry or in the municipal, state, or national government. As the term is used in connection with the Federal Government, it means the secretary in charge of a great division of the executive branch of the government, such as the state, treasury, and war, who is a member of the cabinet. The term does not include the heads of bureaus or lesser divisions. Burnap v United States, 252 US 512, 515, 64 L Ed 692, 694, 40 S Ct 374; Brooks v United States (DC NY) 33 F Supp 68.