Want this question answered?
George Washington appointed people to fill the first four cabinet positions.
Washington had four cabinet members: Sec. of State, Sec. of War, Sec. of Treasury and the Attorney General.
When George Washington was President, there were four cabinet positions. As of 2002 there are fifteen:Secretary of StateSecretary of the TreasurySecretary of DefenseAttorney GeneralSecretary of the InteriorSecretary of AgricultureSecretary of CommerceSecretary of LaborSecretary of Health and Human ServicesSecretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentSecretary of TransportationSecretary of EnergySecretary of EducationSecretary of Veterans AffairsSecretary of Homeland Security
The Secretary of State The Secretary of the Treasury The Secretary of Defense(formerly the Secretary of War) The Attorney General These four positions are known as "The Big 4." They are the heads of the 4 original departments of the executive branch of the federal government under George Washington, making them the longest running positions in the cabinet. Following the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, these four officials(in the order seen above) are next in the line of succession to the presidency in the event of the death, resignation, or impeachment of the President.
One of the definitions of cabinet is: a body of advisers of a head of state. Therefore, as a body of advisers to the President of the United States, the term Cabinet is fitting. The name comes from English history and the cabinet of the king of England existed long before there was a United States.
The Cabinet was created by George Washington, the first President of the United States. He appointed four Cabinet members to help him in fulfill his responsibilities and give him advice.
There is are no such positions universally. Cabinet positions are created if needed or as are politically correct or prudent.
President George Washington created a lot of institutions and traditions as the first president. One of the traditions he began was the presidential appointment of cabinet positions. Washington appointed four people to cabinet positions. His Secretary of the Treasury was Alexander Hamilton, the guy on the $10 bill.Rounding out the cabinet was Thomas Jefferson as the Secretary of State, Henry Knox as Secretary of War, and Edmond Randolph as the Attorney General.The modern cabinet now consists of 15 positions.
The original cabinent positions were Secretary of State, Secretary of Treasury, Secretary of War and Attorney-General.
Washington has four cabinet secretaries; Obama has 11 more.
Louis XIV of France built the colossal Palace of Versailles. In that palace he made sure all his enemies and advisers lived with him. He couldn't meet with all of them at the same time, so whenever he was in the bathroom doing his business, his advisers would speak with him and make decisions through the cabinet door. The reference to the cabinet is where the idea for the name of the President's cabinet originates.
The original cabinet consisted of four positions:The Secretary of State (Thomas Jefferson),The Secretary of Treasury (Alexander Hamilton),The Secretary of War (Henry Knox), andThe Attorney General (Edmund Randolph)