CABINET

=CABINET author: Amanda A.= = = =WHAT IS THE PRESIDENT'S CABINET?=  ===The president's cabinet is comprised of the chief administrators, or secretaries, of the major departments of the federal government. The president's cabinet has been commonly regarded as an institution whose existence has relied more upon custom than law. The historical origins of the cabinet can be traced to the first president, George Washington. After the first Congress created the state, treasury, and war departments and established the office of the attorney general, Washington made appropriate appointments and, subsequently, found it useful to meet with the heads of the executive departments. These executive department secretaries, who came to be known collectively as the "cabinet" by about 1793, were envisioned by Washington to be the president's primary advisory group. Because cabinet terms are not fixed, any secretary may be replaced at any time by the president.===

=George Washington's Cabinet= ===Washington chose talented people. April 30, 1789 - March 3, 1793 (Term 1) George Washington choose Thomas Jefferson for State, Henry Knoxs for War, Edmund Jennings Randolph for Attorney General, March 4, 1793-March 3, 1797 (Term 2) He choose Thomas Jefferson, Edmund Jennings Randolph from January 2, 1794,and Timothy Pickering from August 20, 1795 for state, Alexander Hamilton, Oliver Wolcott Jr. from February 2, 1795 for Treasury, Henry Knox, Timothy Pickering from January 2, 1795, James McHenry from February 6, 1796 for War, Edmund Jennings Randolph, William Bradford from January 29, 1794, Charles Lee from December 10, 1795. These are the members of George Washington's. To achieve these goals, Washington needed the help of a strong cabinet. Since finances were so critical, he chose for Treasury secretary a man who understood public finance: Alexander Hamilton. Since dealing with foreign powers after the failure of the Articles of Confederation would require considerable experience and finesse, he chose Thomas Jefferson, then serving as US minister to France, for Secretary of State. Henry Knox was serving as War Department secretary, and Washington kept his old colleague in that position.===

