Those Who Serve in the Cabinet
Putting together a cabinet is one of the first orders of business for a president-elect. Generally speaking, the composition of a president's cabinet reflects his political philosophy.
The head of the president's transition team usually chairs a search committee that puts together a short list of potential cabinet secretaries for each post. An extensive background check is done for the persons on the short list (with their permission), and the president typically interviews multiple candidates for each position.
Presidents take into account several factors when selecting their cabinet members:
Longtime friends. Every president has included longtime friends — people he had known for decades — in his cabinet. Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich first met President Clinton while the two studied at Oxford University in their early twenties. President John F. Kennedy raised a few eyebrows when he appointed his brother Robert as attorney general, which he had done mostly at the urging of his father.
Campaign loyalists. It's not unusual for a president to fill a spot or two in his cabinet with campaign loyalists who've helped get him elected. Richard Daley, heir to the famed Daley political machine in Chicago, was rewarded for his campaign service with the top job at the Commerce Department during Bill Clinton's second term. Ed Meese became attorney general after engineering Ronald Reagan's victory over Jimmy Carter in 1980.
Member of the opposite party. It has become a semi-tradition that at least one member of the opposite party be included in the cabinet. President Clinton chose Republican senator William Cohen of Maine to serve as secretary of defense during his second term, while President George W. Bush appointed former Democratic Congressman Norman Mineta as his secretary of transportation. Democratic stalwart Daniel Patrick Moynihan served several positions in the Nixon administration before running for the Senate in New York.
Who was the first woman to serve in the cabinet?
Appointed secretary of labor in 1933 by President Franklin Roosevelt, Frances Perkins headed the Labor Department for twelve years and three months — the longest tenure of any cabinet secretary in history. In 1980, the Department of Labor headquarters was renamed the Frances Perkins Building.
Superstar. Presidents often search out political “superstars” to serve in their cabinet for the expertise and prestige they bring to the administration. During the election of 2000, candidate George W. Bush let it be known that former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell would be included in a Bush administration — a move he hoped would appeal to moderate and undecided voters. George H. W. Bush scored a minor coup when he convinced conservative icon Jack Kemp to serve as his secretary of housing and urban development, a post that is not generally regarded as one of the more glamorous cabinet positions.
Elected officials. Most cabinets include former members of Congress. George W. Bush made Spencer Abraham his secretary of energy after the one-term senator was defeated for re-election in Michigan. Abraham had served on the energy committee, and was highly regarded on Capitol Hill.
Experts from the private sector. Most presidents look to the private sector to fill one or two cabinet positions. For example, President Clinton chose longtime educator and University of Wisconsin President Donna Shalala to head the Department of Health and Human Services, where she served for eight years.
