Seat At The Table Episodes

Tenure of Office: December 11, 1811 - February 9, 1814 A lawyer, diplomat, and politician, William Pinkney of Maryland may not be the most famous member of James Madison's Cabinet. However, joined by my special guests, Meredith and Dustin of the Alexander Standard Podcast, we explore his life in this episode to learn more about his impact on the Early Republic during his career at home and abroad and determine whether the legacy he left makes him worthy of a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars.

Tenure of Office: April 6, 1811 - March 4, 1817 (as Secretary of State); September 27, 1814 - March 2, 1815 (as Secretary of War) James Monroe is one of the rare Cabinet members who served in two Cabinet positions simultaneously, and what is really remarkable about Monroe's doing so is that it was in the midst of the War of 1812 when he led both the State and War Departments. Listen as my special guest, Joe Faykosh from Visiting the Presidents, and I explore his life and lengthy career of public service and determine whether Monroe earned a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars.

Tenure of Office: May 15, 1809 - January 1, 1813 Rising through the political ranks in South Carolina, Paul Hamilton was called to national service for the first time by President Madison to serve as his Secretary of the Navy. In this episode, I am joined by my husband Alex to explore the life and career of this lesser-known Cabinet member to determine what legacy he left behind and whether it makes him worthy of a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars.

Tenure of Office: March 7, 1809 - January 13, 1813 After his service as a surgeon on the battlefields of the Revolutionary War, William Eustis of Massachusetts began a political career which would bring him to serve as the 6th US Secretary of War in the Madison administration. Joined by Craig Baird of Canadian History Ehx, in this episode we explore Eustis's life and legacy in order to decide whether he should be offered a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars.

Tenure of Office: January 20, 1807 - December 5, 1811 A member of the politically prominent Rodney family of Delaware, Caesar A Rodney was recruited to service in the US House of Representatives by none other than Thomas Jefferson and a few years later was invited to join his Cabinet as Attorney General. With Åsa and Chris of A Flatpack History of Sweden, I explore Rodney's life and career in this episode to determine what legacy he leaves and whether it makes him worthy of a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars.

Tenure of Office: August 7, 1805 - December 14, 1806 After a few initial fits and starts, John Breckinridge propelled himself to become a prominent leader in the state of Kentucky before moving on to the national scene and ultimately into the Cabinet of Thomas Jefferson as the 5th US Attorney General. Join me and my special guest, Nick from the 10ish Podcast, as we explore his life and career and determine whether Breckinridge earns a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars.

Tenure of Office: July 27, 1801-March 4, 1809 (as Secretary of the Navy); March 6, 1809-April 1, 1811 (as Secretary of State) Propelled to national office by circumstance, Robert Smith's time in the Cabinet would be a tale of two presidencies. While achieving much success as Jefferson's Secretary of the Navy, he would become embroiled in political controversy as Madison's first Secretary of State. Together with my special guest, Zach (aka: Mr. DGMH) from Drinks with Great Minds in History, we explore the life and legacy of this often maligned Cabinet member in order to determine if this infamous reputation is deserved or if Smith should be invited to take up a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars.

Tenure of Office: May 14, 1801 - February 8, 1814 After being forced out of his post as Treasury Secretary, Albert Gallatin spent the next few decades serving in numerous diplomatic postings abroad, writing essays on various topics, being nominated as Vice-President, and even challenging the policies of Andrew Jackson. With my special guest, Andy of the History of Africa podcast, we explore the remainder of Gallatin's life before discussing his historical legacy and determining if he has earned a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars.

Tenure of Office: May 14, 1801 - February 8, 1814 A descendant of a leading Genevese family, Albert Gallatin made his way across the Atlantic and rose to prominence as a Democratic-Republican leader before being recruited by Thomas Jefferson to serve as his Secretary of the Treasury. With my special guest, Andy of the History of Africa podcast, we explore his early career and his tenure of office in the Jefferson and Madison administrations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

Tenure of Office: May 2, 1801 - March 3, 1809 Picking up where we left off in Part One, join me and my special guest, Kenny Ryan from [Abridged] Presidential Histories, as we examine the remainder of James Madison's tenure as Secretary of State as well as touch on the highlights of his post-Cabinet career (Spoiler alert: He made it to an office even higher than Secretary of State) before bringing it all together with a discussion on his overall life, career, and legacy. Will Madison earn a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars? Listen to find out!

Tenure of Office: May 2, 1801 - March 3, 1809 Regular listeners of the podcast may have heard of this guy a time or two thus far, but there's still so much more to know about the career of James Madison leading up to his becoming the fifth Secretary of State. In this episode, I and my special guest, Kenny Ryan of [Abridged] Presidential Histories, explore his life up to his taking charge of the State Department then examine how he established himself in that role and in the Jefferson administration.

Tenure of Office: March 5, 1801 - March 3, 1805 For every figure in American history who is in the spotlight, there is someone who is behind the scenes making it happen. For Thomas Jefferson, one of those folks was Levi Lincoln Sr of Massachusetts. With my special guest, Steve of the Speakcies Show, we explore the life and legacy of the 4th US Attorney General in order to better understand his role in the Jefferson administration and in the politics of the Early Republic.

Tenure of Office: March 5, 1801 - March 4, 1809 Revolutionary War veteran, US Representative, Secretary of War, War of 1812 General, US Minister to Portugal - with that accumulation of offices, one would imagine that Henry Dearborn would be better remembered. With my special guest, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy and Beyond the Big Screen podcasts, we explore Dearborn's life and career to determine whether or not this key member of Jefferson's Cabinet is worthy of more extensive study.

Year(s) Discussed: 1755-1835 As a follow-up episode focused more on John Marshall's lengthy tenure as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, I am joined by Ben Lovelace and Matthew Nichol of the John Marshall House for a discussion on his historical and legal legacy as well as to get a better sense of Marshall as an individual. Our conversation ranged across a variety of topics including his role in reshaping the Judicial branch of government, various key cases that set precedents being applied in the present day, and Marshall's influence, both personally and from the bench, on the expansion of slavery in the United States as well as the nation's relations with the native peoples of North America.

Tenure of Office: June 13, 1800 - March 4, 1801 John Marshall is a name much better known for where his career led him after serving in the administration of John Adams, but there was still much to discuss with my special guest, Alycia from Civics & Coffee, about his brief tenure as Secretary of State. Join us as we explore Marshall's life and legacy and determine whether his impact at the State Department was enough to earn him a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars.

Tenure of Office: June 12, 1800 - March 4, 1801 (as Secretary of War); January 1, 1801 - May 13, 1801 (as Secretary of the Treasury) Samuel Dexter may have come into the Cabinet towards the end of John Adams's tenure as president, but there was still a good bit for my special guest, Shawn from the American History Podcast, and myself to discuss about his life and career. Join us as we determine just what sort of legacy this man from Massachusetts left for posterity.

Tenure of Office: June 18, 1798 - March 31, 1801 A merchant and land speculator by trade, Benjamin Stoddert's path to becoming the first Secretary of the Navy was an unconventional one. However, did this unique background contribute to success while in office? With my special guest, Stacey Roberts of the History's Trainwrecks podcast, we explore the life and legacy of this Marylander to better understand his role in presidential history.

Tenure of Office: January 27, 1796 – June 2, 1800 James McHenry was the last individual appointed to the Cabinet of George Washington, but would being tapped to head the War Department by the esteemed first President lead to his tenure being viewed favorably by his contemporaries and by the annals of history? With my special guest, Kyle Väth of the Just Cincinnati podcast, we explore McHenry’s entire life and career along with the role he played in the Washington and Adams administrations to determine just what this signer of the Constitution brought to the table.

Tenure of Office: December 10, 1795 – March 4, 1801 Charles Lee served as legal counsel during some of the most notable trials of the Early Republic, but does that mean that his tenure as Attorney General is equally remarkable? With my special guest, Kenny from [Abridged] Presidential Histories, we explore his life and career to determine what he contributed to the Washington and Adams administrations as well as to American history in general.

Tenure of Office: February 3, 1795 – December 31, 1800 Oliver Wolcott, Jr had big shoes to fill when he assumed office as the second Secretary of the Treasury. With my special guests, Lucy and Michelle from Tudoriferous, we explore his life and career to determine whether this member of the Washington and Adams administrations was truly up to the task of running the largest Cabinet department in the early republic.

Tenure of Office: January 2, 1795 – December 10, 1795 (as Secretary of War); December 10, 1795 – May 12, 1800 (as Secretary of State) Timothy Pickering’s tenure in the Washington and Adams administrations is arguably one of the most notorious in the early republic. Thus, I had to call on Eric and Matt from the Ranking ’76: The American West podcast to join me in exploring the life of this infamous historical figure and determine what sort of a legacy he left behind.

Tenure of Office: January 27, 1794 – August 23, 1795 Though William Bradford wasn’t Attorney General for long, he did have an impact on some key events in the Washington administration. With my special guest for this episode, we examine his life and career to understand what sort of a legacy Bradford left.

Tenure of Office: March 22, 1790 – December 31, 1793 We’ve spent a good amount of time in the narrative talking about Jefferson as the third US president, but in this episode, while also exploring his life and career as a whole, we focus in a bit on Jefferson’s tenure as Secretary of State in the Washington administration.

Tenure of Office: 26 September 1789 – 20 August 1795 Edmund Randolph served in not one but two positions in the Washington administration – as Attorney General then as Secretary of State. However, will that be enough to earn him a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars? Listen to find out more about his life, career, and legacy!