January 15, 2008 - 11:22am
News

Since LBJ, New Jersey's representation in the cabinet has declined

The last Democratic President to name someone from New Jersey to his cabinet was Lyndon B. Johnson, who in 1965 had three New Jerseyans in his twelve-member cabinet: Douglas Dillon who had been the Secretary of the Treasury under John F. Kennedy, Nicholas Katzenbach was Attorney General, and John Connor was the Secretary of Commerce.  When Connor left in 1967, Johnson named another New Jerseyan, Alexander Trowbridge, to replace him.

Richard M. Nixon named just one New Jerseyan to his cabinet: William Simon, as Treasury Secretary.  Simon held the post through the end of the Ford administration.  Ronald Reagan named Raymond Donovan as Secretary of Labor, and Nicholas Brady, who served several months as a U.S. Senator, as Secretary of the Treasury.  George W. Bush nominated two New Jerseyans to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security: first Bernard Kerik, and then after Kerik’s withdrawal, Michael Chertoff.

Wally Edge can be reached via email at politicsnj@aol.com.