Tenure of Office: February 10, 1814 - November 12, 1817 (as Attorney General); March 07, 1825 - March 05, 1829 (as Secretary of the Treasury)
As discussed in this two-part episode, while Richard Rush may not be the most w…
Tenure of Office: February 9, 1814 - October 5, 1814
The successor of Albert Gallatin as Secretary of the Treasury was always going to have big shoes to fill, but coming in while the nation was at war and with a nearly em…
Tenure of Office: February 5, 1813 - September 27, 1814
When Armstrong assumed office in 1813, he found a War Department facing serious challenges. Would Madison's fifth choice for the post be the person who could turn th…
Tenure of Office: February 5, 1813 - September 27, 1814
Revolutionary War veteran, member of the Confederation Congress, US Senator, US Minister to France - certainly sounds like an illustrious career leading up to servic…
Tenure of Office: January 19, 1813 - December 1, 1814
Starting a new position is never easy, but being put in charge of the Navy in the middle of the war with a shoestring budget meant for a particularly challenging into …
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, Me…
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 simulta…
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 …
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 th…
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 …
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 an…
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 tal…
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 vari…
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…
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 tenur…