The Cabinet

Winner of the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Excellence in American History Book AwardWinner of the Thomas J.Wilson Memorial Prize“Cogent, lucid, and concise…An indispensable guide to the creation of the cabinet…Groundbreaking…we can now have a much greater appreciation of this essential American institution, one of the major legacies of George Washington’s enlightened statecraft.” -Ron ChernowOn November 26, 1791, George Washington convened his department secretaries-Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Knox, and Edmund Randolph-for the first cabinet meeting.Why did he wait two and a half years into his presidency to call his cabinet? Because the US Constitution did not create or provide for such a body.Faced with diplomatic crises, domestic insurrection, and constitutional challenges-and finding congressional help distinctly lacking-he decided he needed a group of advisors he could turn to for guidance. Authoritative and compulsively readable, The Cabinet reveals the f