1978: NOAA announces gender-neutral hurricane naming system
Federal News Network presents a daily update of important moments in the history of the U.S. government.
On this day 230 years ago, President George Washington appointed the first Cabinet of the United States. The new Senate confirmed Thomas Jefferson as secretary of state, John Jay as chief justice of the U.S., Samuel Osgood to postmaster-general, and Edmund Jennings Randolph as the first attorney general. They were joined by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton and Secretary of War Henry Knox. Vice President John Adams was not included in Washington’s Cabinet because, as president of the Senate, the position was initially regarded as a legislative officer. By the 20th century vice presidents were regularly included as members of the Cabinet and associated primarily with the executive branch. The Cabinet arose from debates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention regarding whether the president would exercise executive authority singly or collaboratively with ministers or a privy council. As a result, Article II of the Constitution vests “all executive power” in the president singly, and authorizes — but does not compel — the president to “require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices.”
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