Postmaster General. This department was established September 22, 1789. There are three assistant postmasters general. The postmaster general appoints all postmasters whose emoluments do not exceed one thousand dollars. Those receiving above that sum are appointed by the president. Secretary of the Navy. This department was established April 30, 1798. The bureaus of this department are as follows: Yards and docks; equipment and recruiting; navigation; ordnance; construction and repair; steam engineering; provision and clothing; and medicine and surgery. Secretary of the Interior. This department was established March 3, 1849. There is an assistant secretary. The bureaus of the department are as follows: General land office; patent office; Indian office; pension office; census office; slave-trade tribunals; agriculture; and education. Secretary of Agriculture. The department of agriculture was made an executive department, and the secretary of agriculture a cabinet officer, after the passage of the "Succession" act of the forty-ninth congress. THE PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION. The presidential succession is fixed by ch. 4 of the acts of the fortyninth congress, first session. In case of the removal, death, resignation or inability of both the president and vice president, then the secretary of state shall act as president until the disability of the president or vice president is removed or a president is elected. If there be no secretary of state, then the secretary of the treasury will act; and the remainder of the order of succession is: The secretary of war, attorney general, postmaster general, secretary of the navy and secretary of the interior. The acting president must, upon taking office, convene congress, if not at the time in session, in extraordinary session, giving twenty days' notice. This act applies only to such cabinet officers as shall have been appointed by the advice and consent of the senate and are eligible under the constitution to the presidency. -9 PRESIDENTS AND THEIR CABINETS. 23 19 26 *The figures in this column indicate the presidential terms, and are referred to in the following tables of cabinet officers. Terms marked "a" denote the succession of the vice president to the presidency. The smaller figures under the sub-head "No." indicate the numerical order of individual officers from the first. + Died in office. Resigned, December 28, 1832. |