Date: May 1994
Grade Level(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
Subject(s):
Overview: While the federal bureaucracy is one of the least understood aspects of U.S. Government, it affects the American people most directly. Few Americans give any thought as to how the heads of this huge bureaucracy, the Cabinet, are chosen.
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is for students to understand that even though Senate approval is needed for presidential Cabinet appointments, there are no qualifications or standards set for each position.
Objectives: Students will complete the following as a result of this lesson:
Resources/Materials: The biographical sketches do not need to be current in order to fulfill the purpose of this lesson. However, as Cabinet secretaries change or when a new administration begins, teachers may want to update the sketches. Keeping the sketches current also makes the lesson more relevant to students as they study current news. Biographical information on the Cabinet can be obtained from Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress, Washington D.C., 20540. Your Senator or Congressman may be helpful in getting this information from CRS quickly.
Tying It All Together: After discussing each biographical sketch, have the students list common characteristics found in the members of the Cabinet. These qualities should be listed on the chalkboard. Next, assign each group 2 or 3 Cabinet posts and have them develop a specific set of qualifications for the head of each department. This activity could be turned in as a graded assignment.
| Cabinet Positions: | ||
| Sec. of State | Sec. of Labor | |
| Sec. of the Treasury | Sec. of Health and Human Services | |
| Sec. of Defense | Sec. of Housing and Urban Development | |
| Attorney General | Sec. of Transportation | |
| Sec. of the Interior | Sec. of Energy | |
| Sec. of Agriculture | Sec. of Education | |
| Sec. of Commerce | Sec. of Veterans Affairs |
| Individual One - ___________ | Individual Three - ___________ | |
| Age: 52 | Age: 61 | |
| Former public school teacher | Campaign chairman for Pres. Bush | |
| Served in Illinois House of Representatives | Served in Marines | |
| Served in Illinois Senate | Trustee for Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars | |
| Served in Congress from Illinois (10 yrs.) | White House Chief of Staff under Reagan | |
| National co-chairman for Bush-Quayle Presidential campaign | Lawyer | |
| Undersecretary for Dept. of Commerce | ||
| Secretary of Treasury under Reagan | ||
| From Texas |
| Individual Two - ___________ | Individual Four - ____________ | |
| Age: 51 | Age: 55 | |
| Lawyer | Owner of taxi company | |
| Former Governor of Tennessee (8 yrs.) | Illinois State legislator | |
| Legal assistant to Sen. Howard Baker | Served in Congress from Illinois (18 yrs.) | |
| Chairman of Republican Research Committee | ||
| Member of President's Task Force on Federalism | Served on House Agriculture Committee | |
| Chairman of National Governors Assoc. |
| Individual Five - ____________ | Individual Ten - ____________ | |
| Age: 64 | Age: 61 | |
| Independent Texas oil and gas producer | M.B.A. Harvard University | |
| Chief Executive officer and chairman of Mosbacher Energy Co. | U.S. Senator from New Jersey | |
| Chairman of Nat'l Petroleum Council | Chairman and chief executive officer of an investment and securities firm | |
| National finance chairman for Bush for President | Served in MX missile development options panel | |
| Director New York Life Ins. Co. | Served on Central America Study Commission | |
| Co-chairman of Republican National Finance Committee | Chairman of President's Commission on Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Salaries |
| Individual Six - ___________ | Individual Eleven - __________ | |
| Age: 50 | Age: 59 | |
| Congressman from Wyoming (10 yrs.) | Lawyer | |
| Aide to Governor of Wisconsin | U.S. Attorney for Pennsylvania | |
| Deputy Assistant to Pres. Ford | Governor of Penn. (8 yrs.) | |
| Assistant Director of Cost of Living Council | Asst. Atty. General for Dept. of Justice | |
| Republican leader in House of Representatives | Director of Institute of Politics, JFK School of Government, Harvard Univ. |
| Individual Seven - ___________ | Individual Twelve- ___________ | |
| Age: 65 | Age: 58 | |
| Served in Illinois legislature | Physician | |
| Congressman from Illinois (24 yrs.) and under-secretary in Dept. of State | Associate Professor of Medicine, Boston Counselor University (6 yrs.) | |
| Delegate to the U.N. General Assembly | Dean of School of Medicine, Morehouse College (14 yrs.) |
| Individual Eight - __________ | Individual Thirteen- ________ | |
| Age: 56 | Age: 63 | |
| Special Asst. to governor of Calif. | Insurance and real estate businessman | |
| Congressman from New York (18 yrs.) | Served on President's National Commission on Space | |
| Professional football player (13 yrs.) | Congressman from New Mexico (20 yrs.) | |
| Public relations officer for bank | Chairman of House Science, Space, and Technology Committee | |
| Ran for Republican nomination for Pres.1987 - 1988 | ||
| Served on President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. |
| Individual Nine - __________ | Individual Fourteen- _________ | |
| Age: 64 | Age: 53 | |
| U.S. Naval Academy graduate | Lawyer | |
| Chairman of Presidential Commission on the HIV (AIDS) Epidemic | Salesman for IBM | |
| Admiral in U. S. Navy | Asst. U.S. Attorney for Illinois | |
| Commander in Chief of U.S. Pacific Fleet | U.S. Attorney for Illinois | |
| Served on advisory boards in education and energy fields | Chairman of Regional Transportation Authority for Illinois | |
| Served in U.S. Army | ||
| Vice Chairman of the President's Commission on Organized Crime | ||
| Illinois Campaign Director for Bush |
Individual One - Secretary of Labor - Lynn Martin
Individual Two - Secretary of Education - Lamar Alexander
Individual Three - Secretary of State - James A. Baker, III
Individual Four - Secretary of Agriculture - Edward Madigan
Individual Five - Secretary of Commerce - Robert Mosbacher
Individual Six - Secretary of Defense - Dick Cheney
Individual Seven - Secretary of Veterans Affairs - Edward Derwinski
Individual Eight - Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - Jack Kemp
Individual Nine - Secretary of Energy - James D. Watkins
Individual Ten - Secretary of the Treasury - Nicholas Brady
Individual Eleven - Attorney General - Richard Thornburgh
Individual Twelve - Secretary of Health and Human Services - Louis Sullivan
Individual Thirteen - Secretary of the Interior - Manuel Lujan, Jr.
Individual Fourteen - Secretary of Transportation - Samuel Skinner