Executive Order 8186 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)
Executive Order 8186—Transferring to the Federal Works Administrator the Functions Transferred to the Secretary of the Treasury by Executive Order No. 7641 of June 22, 1937
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
This executive order, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 1939-06-29, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Transferring to the Federal Works Administrator the Functions Transferred to the Secretary of the Treasury by Executive Order No. 7641 of June 22, 1937." It is a direct, concise executive instruction delivering focused administrative or military commands to department leadership.
Constitutional Assessment: Scrutinized through Article II, Section 2, this action exercises the President's constitutional role as Commander in Chief. Early Framers recognized broad executive discretion in commanding military forces during conflict, provided it remains bounded by congressional declarations and respects civilian domestic courts.
Key Directives & Operative Actions
▪550), as amended and supplemented, it is ordered that all powers, rights, privileges, and duties (including the power to execute deeds, contracts, or other Instruments of conveyance) delegated to the Secretary of Labor by Executive Order No.
▪This order shall supersede Executive Order No.
▪7641 of June 22, 1937, and shall become effective July 1, 1939.
Exec. Order No. 8186, Franklin D. Roosevelt (Jun 29, 1939). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-8186-transferring-the-federal-works-administrator-the-functions.
Official Document Text
Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)
By virtue of and pursuant to the authority vested in me by the act entitled "An Act to authorize the President to provide housing for war needs", approved May 16, 1918 (40 Stat. 550), as amended and supplemented, it is ordered that all powers, rights, privileges, and duties (including the power to execute deeds, contracts, or other Instruments of conveyance) delegated to the Secretary of Labor by Executive Order No. 2889 of June 18, 1918, and transferred to the Secretary of the Treasury by Executive Order No. 7641 of June 22, 1937, be, and they are hereby, transferred to the Federal Works Administrator to be exercised and performed by the said Administrator through the Commissioner of Public Buildings; and the Secretary of the Treasury shall take such action as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order, including the transfer of all the stock of the United States Housing Corporation, now held by the Secretary of the Treasury as Trustee, to the Federal Works Administrator as Trustee for the United States. This order shall supersede Executive Order No. 7641 of June 22, 1937, and shall become effective July 1, 1939. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT The White House, June 29, 1939 .
