According to the Military Laws of the United States, "The act of August 5, 1882 authorizing the appointment of an assistant secretary of war was repealed by the act of July 7, 1884 (23 Stat L., 331) the power conferred by the act of August 5, 1882 never having been exercised," indicating that the post was not filled between 1882 and 1883 (p. 45, footnote 2).In 1940, the new position of United States under secretary of war replaced this position as the number-two office in the department.[1] The office continued to exercise administrative duties until the department's end in 1947, when the United States Department of Defense was established.780), passed on July 2 of that year,[20] created a second assistant secretary position in the War Department variously called "Assistant Secretary of War for Aviation," "Assistant Secretary of War for Air," or "Assistant Secretary of War for Aeronautics."Those holding the office, with an eigh-–year vacancy between 1933 and 1941, were F. Trubee Davison (1926–1933),[21] Robert A. Lovett (1941–1945),[22] and Stuart Symington (1946–1947).