THOMAS JEFFERSON S CABINET POSITION DOSSIER

THOMAS JEFFERSON S CABINET POSITION DOSSIER

No man is an island. While many of you have your own departments, everyone should work with the understanding that they have a team of assistants and staff under them with considerable financial resources and social connections due to their position. Secretaries of the Departments James Madison, Secretary of State: Madison was an important figure in the birth of the United States. He is a learned man, having studied history, government, and law at Princeton. Before the war, he was a proud Virginian and worked to create the Virginian Constitution and served in their assembly as well as in the Continental Congress. He also was a major player in the creation of the Constitution of the US, defending it in several of the Federalist papers. Along with Jefferson, he helped to establish the Democratic Republican party out of great opposition to Hamilton s financial plans. As Secretary of State, Madison will be the leading diplomat for the young nation and will have to build and rebuild foreign relations all over the world. Robert Smith, Secretary of the Navy: Smith is a Pennsylvanian who moved early in life to Maryland. He, like many other prominent men, studied at Princeton University. During the war he served as a private and eventually led a large maritime law practice in Baltimore. He has considerable experience in government, serving in the Maryland Senate, House of Delegates, and Baltimore City Council. With all of this experience, Jefferson thought he was uniquely right for the position. Smith will oversee all of the Navy and Coast Guard for the United States. Henry Dearborn, Secretary of War: Dearborn is from New Hampshire and practiced medicine before the war. He gave up his practice to fight the British, getting captured in a battle against Quebec, and once released, he took up arms and continued fighting. During the war he was known for his exemplary skills for getting men, money, and various other supplies for the New Hampshire Continentals. Following the war, he was appointed marshal for the District of Maine. He was also a Congressman for Massachusetts in 1793-97. Dearborn will be in charge of the armed forces with the exception of the Navy and Coast Guard. Additionally, he will supervise the preparation of men for conflict and assessing resources of the war department and the state of post-revolution equipment. Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury: Gallatin was born abroad in Geneva, Switzerland, coming to Pennsylvania at just nineteen. An ardent Anti- Federalist, Gallatin was elected to the House of Representatives while also becoming involved in private businesses, such as a winery, distillery, boat yard, and gun factory. He served on the Committee on Finance, where he worked to lower Federalist backed spending meant to increase hostilities with the French. He was hated by the Federalists, which was part of his appeal to Jefferson. Gallatin will be tasked with overseeing the economy of the United States, ensuring that the President makes sound financial decisions and even rights some of the economic mistakes done by the Federalists. 2

Levi Lincoln, Attorney General: Lincoln is a Massachusetts man who graduated from Harvard where he studied law. Lincoln was part of the Minutemen during the Revolution. He was on the committee for public safety, served as a clerk of court, a judge probate, and a county prosecutor. He was part of the Massachusetts state Constitutional Convention and was a senator and representative in the state legislature. He also spent one year in Congress. As the attorney general, Lincoln will head the new Department of Law. All legal matters concerning the U.S., along with matters relating to the implementation of justice, will rest upon Lincoln. John Fowler, Secretary of Agriculture: John Fowler is a Kentuckian planter from Virginia. Fowler studied at the College of William and Mary after fighting in the revolution, rising up to the rank of Captain. Governmentally, he was a trustee of Frankfort, Kentucky, a member of the third statehood convention, member of the Virginian House of Delegates, member of the Virginian Ratifying Convention on the US Constitution, and a US Congressman, among various other involvements. As a large landholder, he created the Kentucky Agricultural Society. As a man who understands agriculture and government, Fowler will lead the newly created Department of Agriculture. He will be tasked with overseeing American agricultural policy and ensuring that farmers are protected from government intervention. Samuel Slater, Secretary of Industry: Slater was born in England but now lives in Massachusetts. Sometimes called the Father of the American Industrial Revolution, Slater has helped to progress the US through his creation of the first successful cotton mill and expansion thereafter. Due to his knowledge of American industry, he is perfect to lead the new Department of Industry. Pairing with the Department of Agriculture, Slater will oversee the progress of the American industrial sector, helping businesses to expand and become more efficient, while also keeping in mind the importance of agriculture to Jefferson. Industry will be extremely important to modernizing America and making it a viable competitor in international trade. New industries also means that America is not so reliant on agriculture, which can be unpredictable. James Jackson, Secretary of State Affairs: Jackson was a former governor of Georgia who fought in the revolution. He held positions in the Georgian legislature, where he quickly became known for his disgust with Hamilton s financial policies, making him an early supporter of Jefferson. He also had a brief stint as a Congressman. Because of Jackson s close dealings with state politics, as well as his political beliefs in many Jefferson policies, he is the perfect man to head the new State Affairs Department. Jackson will be in charge of ensuring that each state has its rights respected by the federal government. Jackson and his department will essentially be the voice of the states within the federal system. Joseph Willard, Secretary of Education: Willard was the former president of Harvard who left his position at the request of Jefferson. As president he worked hard to progress the school with actions including the creation of a medical school. Willard will head the new Department of Education. Jefferson, while he believes in minimal government intervention, believes in education. It will be Willard s job to work with current institutions to expand to include more students and more subjects while also looking into how to advance education to society in a larger sense. While it may seem simple, Willard has the power to set goals, oversee curriculum, expand the subjects viewed as important, and focus the studies of thousands, 3

impacting the minds of youth. By making our education system better, he can entice intellectuals from all over the world to resettle in America, applying their expertise to help improve the country. Alexander Reinagle, Secretary of American Culture: Reinagle is a former Scottish composer who has come to America. His music often incorporates American themes, such as his Monody on the Death of George Washington. He even counts one of Washington s daughters as his students. Because of his success in the American music scene and his tendency to incorporate uniquely American themes, he has been chosen to lead the new Department of American Culture. This department will work on creating programs and helping to foster a common national identity. Jefferson is hopeful that a common identity and promotion of arts will help American interests on an international scale. Oliver Wolcott Jr., Trade Representative: America has been in a tricky situation following the break with Britain in regards to trade. Merchant ships are being taken by several nations and our past relationship with the empire has caused the nation to look into other markets. Jefferson has designated Wolcott as Chief Trade Representative who will advise on trade matters and negotiate trading partnerships and deals with other nations. Wolcott, one of the only Federalists in the cabinet, was the previous Secretary of the Treasury, and therefore is best suited to understand the complexity of trade and American finance. As the former Treasury Secretary he dealt with many other countries, such as France and Great Britain. Daniel Boone, Secretary of the Frontier: Boone is an American adventurer who travelled throughout the American frontier both with the American military and on his own. He discovered the area known as the Cumberland Gap and settled part of Kentucky. Boone was asked by Jefferson to head the new Department of the Frontier because of his considerable amount of time spent there and his experience with politics. He will be in charge of examining and advising on how to deal with the vast amounts of land on the border of the nation. Chief Shenandoah, Secretary of Native American Affairs: The Chief is in charge of the Oneida nation, part of the Iroquois Confederacy. He sided with the Americans during the revolution, and has therefore been granted this position. As the nation enlarges more Americans encounter Native Americans, which often turn violent. The government will have to deal with the effects of these encounters and navigate the tense relationship between Native American tribes and Americans. The Chief will head the new Department of Native American Affairs that will work to create harmonious relationships and policy between the Native Americans and the settlers. Party Leadership John Jay, Opposition Leader: Taking over for John Adams as the leader of the Federalists, John Jay has a large amount of political experience. He was president of the Continental Congress in 1777. Jay helped to negotiate the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War. He went on to become the first justice of the Supreme Court, before becoming the Governor of New York. He has chosen to now focus on party politics. While Jay leads his own party, he will now have a say in the government and be able to cast a vote. Jay will work as the voice of the opposition, helping to bring in new 4

perspectives and ensure that policies and decisions aren t made in a vacuum. He has been given the power to negotiate deals on behalf of the Federalists. His real power comes from his ability to mobilize a sizable portion of the country on his behalf, as the Federalists tend to still be a sizable amount of Americans. Aaron Burr, Vice President: Aaron Burr is a former lawyer and Congressman who also held the position of the Attorney General of New York. As Vice President, Burr will have some wiggle room as to the position. He can choose to be the second seat to Jefferson, advising him and working behind the scenes, or he can take a path similar to Jefferson when he was Vice President and focus on being President of the Senate and working on legislative agendas. Burr is the same party as Jefferson, meaning that their beliefs should align better, however, it is rumored that Burr and Jefferson have tension in their relationship regarding the events of the election. Nathaniel Macon, Speaker of the House: Macon is a North Carolinian Congressman. Like many other politicians, he went to Princeton and fought in the revolution. Before Congress he was a member of the state senate of North Carolina. Macon will oversee the newly elected Democratic Republican House. Macon is part of the cabinet, not as an official secretary but in order to coordinate better and become more efficient with passing legislation that helps the party and Jefferson. Jefferson has decided that he will get an equal vote and say on all cabinet matters. As Speaker he sets the legislative agenda, assigns positions and committees for other Congressmen, and decides what bills can get heard. Without his help, it is much more difficult to get bills through. Wilson Nicholas, President Pro Tempore of the Senate: Before becoming a Congressman, Nicholas fought in the revolution, attended the College of William and Mary. He was also a member of the Virginian House of Delegates, and the state Constitutional Convention. A Democratic Republican, Nicholas will help to coordinate with the executive to produce legislation especially in the Senate that aligns with Jefferson s politics. Just like Macon, Nicholas is not an official secretary but works in an unofficial coordination and advisory role. Ministers Robert Livingston, Minister to France: Livingston is from New York and was crucial to the starting of the nation. He helped to draft the Declaration of Independence and was the man who gave Washington the oath of office. He served as the Secretary of State (called Secretary of Foreign Affairs) under the Articles of Confederation. He had to deal with nations as the war ended, including the biggest ally during the war, France. He also worked as Chancellor in New York, the highest judicial official. As Minister to France, Livingston will have to work to re-establish the relationship we once had and help ease concerns over friendship with Britain. Rufus King, Minister to Britain: King is a Harvard graduate and former member of the Continental Congress as well as a New York Congressman. As the incumbent in this role, King will have the interesting position of trying to balance two foreign policies. Adams was very friendly to Britain, which caused discontent. Jefferson is not as happy with Britain, as he believes the Federalists worked too hard to create good relations and gave away too much. King will have to keep this in mind, 5

and ensure he doesn t do the same thing in any future negotiations with France. King will have to continue to keep positive relations with the other nation while dealing with domestic misgivings. Thomas Barclay, Minister to Morocco: Barclay helped to negotiate the Moroccan-American Friendship Treaty that ended Moroccan aggression towards American merchant ships. While Morocco may seem insignificant, the region continually acts aggressively towards America. A continued relationship with Morocco will make dealing with the conflicts in the region much easier. Barclay has also been a Consul in France, and if conflict arises in the Barbary Coast, Barclay may be asked to step up and play a larger diplomatic role. While it was reported that Barclay was dead, he simply was exploring the frontier, but has returned for this post. 6