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In this Collection
Vice Presidents
Second in line to the U.S. presidency, numerous vice presidents have gone on to become president. With few exceptions, these manuscripts are written while they served in the vice presidential chair. Pictured: Hannibal Hamlin.
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Presidential Candidates
They ran for the nation's highest office and did not win. Pictured: Henry Clay.
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Vice Presidential Candidates
They ran for the nation's second highest office. Pictured: Thomas Pinckney.
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First Ladies
Many first ladies came to play a fundamental role in the nation’s social and political scene. Pictured: Dolley Madison.
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Chief Justices of the US Supreme Court
The highest judicial officer in the country, these men have led the business of the Supreme Court, administered the oath of office at presidential inaugurations, and presided over the Senate during impeachment trials of the President of the United States. Pictured: John Marshall.
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Secretaries of State
Congress created the position of Secretary of State on Jul 27, 1789 to perform such duties as the President required, in accordance with the Constitution, particularly those relating to foreign affairs. Pictured: James Monroe.
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Secretaries of War
The Secretary of the War Department was an executive post of the United States government from 1789 to 1947, when its name was changed to the Secretary of Defense and it was recast, the department being reorganized. He supervised all military functions and aspects of national defense. Pictured: John C. Calhoun.
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Signers of the Declaration of Independence
The men who pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to free our nation from the shackles of foreign dominance. Pictured: John Hancock.
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Speakers of the House
The leader of the Majority Party in the House of Representatives, he is the third in line to the presidency, behind only the Vice President. Pictured: Henry Clay.
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Special Collections
Milestones in American history; important manuscripts and collections of American manuscripts that have themselves played a role in our development and achievements as a country.
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Postmasters General - 1789
The Postmaster General is the executive head of the United States Postal Service. Until 1971, he was the head of an executive department concerned with the postal service (the Post Office Department). During that period, he was a member of the President's Cabinet. Pictured: John Wanamaker
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Secretary of the Treasury - 1789
The Secretary of United States Treasury Department is entrusted with a broad range of duties and functions relating to monetary functions such as budgets, taxes, and currency production and circulation. He also oversees critical functions in enforcement, economic policy development, and international treaty negotiation, just to name a few.
Pictured: Alexander Hamilton.
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Attorney General - 1789
The Judiciary Act of 1789 created the Office of the Attorney General which evolved over the years into the head of the Department of Justice and chief law enforcement officer of the Federal Government. Coming soon...
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Secretary of the Navy - 1798
The position was a member of the President's Cabinet until 1947, when the Navy, Army, and newly created Air Force were placed in the Department of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy was placed under the Secretary of Defense. Pictured: Gideon Welles.
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Secretary of the Interior - 1849
The Department of the Interior oversees such agencies as the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the United States Geological Survey, and the National Park Service. Coming soon...
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Secretary of Agriculture - 1889
The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture concerned with land and food as well as agriculture and rural development. Pictured: Henry Wallace.
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Secretary of Commerce - 1913
Until 1913 there was one Secretary of Commerce and Labor, uniting this department with the Department of Labor, which is now headed by a separate Secretary of Labor. Pictured: Herbert Hoover.
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Secretary of Labor - 1913
Previously there was one Secretary of Commerce and Labor, uniting this department with the Department of Commerce, which is now headed by a separate Secretary of Commerce. Coming soon...
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Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - 1966
On January 13, 1966, Robert C. Weaver became the first African American Cabinet member by being appointed to this position... Coming soon...
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Secretary of Transportation - 1967
The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. Coming soon...
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Secretary of Education - 1979
Until 1979, there was one Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, uniting this department with the Department of Health and Human Services, which is now headed by a separate Secretary of Health and Human Services... Coming soon...
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Secretary of Homeland Security - 2001
Established in response to a government wide reorganization of all intelligence services. Pictured: Tom Ridge.
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Early America
The men and women, America's early leaders, who took us from the Colonial Era up to the Revolutionary period.
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Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare - 1953
The United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare was the head of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Secretary was a member of the President's Cabinet. In 1979, there was a division of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare's position into separate secretaries of Health and Human Services and Education. Coming soon...
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