January 15, 2008 - 12:22pm
Since LBJ, New Jersey's representation in the cabinet has declined
By Wally Edge
Tags: William Simon, Michael Chertoff, Bernard Kerik, Nicholas Katzenbach, Douglas Dillon, Raymond Donovan
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.
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Whitman???
Hey Wally, Christie Whitman was named to GW Bush's cabinet as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
New Jerseyans
Wally-- did Dillon, Connor, or Trowbridge ever stay involved in NJ politics or run for office after their stint in D.C.??
Cabinet
EPA Administrator is not a cabinet post, although Whitman had cabinet rank -- that's different. The only ex-cabinet member to become involevd in NJ politics was Bill Simon, who played a key role in writing Ray Bateman's tax plan during the 1977 gubernatorial campaign. His son was the '02 GOP candidate for Governor of California against Gray Davis. And John Connor's son, Geoff Connor, ran for Congress against Milicent Fenwick and served in Jim Florio's cabinet.
Now thats the Wally we know
Now thats the Wally we know and love.