# List of United States political appointments across party lines

United States presidents typically fill their Cabinets and other appointive positions with people from their own political party. The first Cabinet formed by the first president, George Washington, included some of Washington's political opponents, but later presidents adopted the practice of filling their Cabinets with members of the president's party.
Appointments across party lines are uncommon. Presidents may appoint members of a different party to high-level positions in order to reduce partisanship or improve cooperation between the political parties. Also presidents often appoint members of a different party because they need Senate confirmation for many of these positions, and at the time of appointment the Senate was controlled by the opposition party of the president. Many of the cross-partisan nominees are often moderates within their own parties.
This is a list of people appointed to high-level positions in the United States federal government by a president whose political party affiliation was different from that of the appointee. The list includes executive branch appointees and independent agency appointees. Independent or nonpartisan appointees, nominally apolitical appointments (such as Article III judges and military officers), and members of explicitly bipartisan commissions are not included.. A third party member has never been an appointee.

## List of appointees

| Appointee | Appointee | Position | Term ↑ | President | President |
| Name | Party | Position | Term ↑ | Name | Party |
| Joseph Habersham | Federalist | Postmaster General | 1801‡ | Thomas Jefferson | Democratic-Republican |
| Rufus King | Federalist | Minister to Britain | 1801–1803‡ | Thomas Jefferson | Democratic-Republican |
| James Bayard | Federalist | Treaty of Ghent peace commissioner | 1814 | James Madison | Democratic-Republican |
| Richard Rush | Federalist | Comptroller of the Treasury | 1811–1814 | James Madison | Democratic-Republican |
| Richard Rush | Federalist | Attorney General | 1814–1817 | James Madison | Democratic-Republican |
| Lewis Cass | Democratic | Ambassador to France | 1841–1842‡ | William Henry Harrison | Whig |
| Joseph Holt | Republican | Commissioner of Patents | 1857–1859 | James Buchanan | Democratic |
| Joseph Holt | Republican | Postmaster General | 1859–1860 | James Buchanan | Democratic |
| Joseph Holt | Republican | Secretary of War | 1861 | James Buchanan | Democratic |
| Andrew Johnson | Democratic | Military Governor of Tennessee | 1862–1865 | Abraham Lincoln | Republican |
| George B. McClellan | Democratic | Commanding General of the United States Army | 1861–1862 | Abraham Lincoln | Republican |
| Henry Connelly | Democratic | Governor of the Territory of New Mexico | 1861–1865 | Abraham Lincoln | Republican |
| George Foster Shepley | Democratic | Military Governor of Louisiana | 1862–1864 | Abraham Lincoln | Republican |
| John S. Phelps | Democratic | Military Governor of Arkansas | 1862 | Abraham Lincoln | Republican |
| Edwin M. Stanton | Democratic | Secretary of War | 1862–1865 | Abraham Lincoln | Republican |
| Daniel Sickles | Democratic | Special Minister to the South American Republics | 1865 | Abraham Lincoln | Republican |
| James Harlan | Republican | Secretary of the Interior | 1865–1866 | Andrew Johnson | Democratic/National Unionist |
| Henry Stanbery | Republican | Attorney General | 1866–1868 | Andrew Johnson | Democratic/National Unionist |
| Alexander W. Randall | Republican | Postmaster General | 1866–1869 | Andrew Johnson | Democratic/National Unionist |
| Orville H. Browning | Republican | Secretary of the Interior | 1866–1869 | Andrew Johnson | Democratic/National Unionist |
| John M. Schofield | Republican | Secretary of War | 1868–1869 | Andrew Johnson | Democratic/National Unionist |
| William M. Evarts | Republican | Attorney General | 1868–1869 | Andrew Johnson | Democratic/National Unionist |
| Daniel Sickles | Democratic | Minister to Spain | 1869–1873 | Ulysses S. Grant | Republican |
| George Bancroft | Democratic | Minister to Germany | 1869–1874‡ | Ulysses S. Grant | Republican |
| James Lawrence Orr | Democratic | Minister to Russia | 1872–1873 | Ulysses S. Grant | Republican |
| Caleb Cushing | Democratic | Minister to Spain | 1874–1877 | Ulysses S. Grant | Republican |
| David M. Key | Democratic | Postmaster General | 1877–1880 | Rutherford B. Hayes | Republican |
| Allen G. Thurman | Democratic | Paris international monetary conference | 1881 | James A. Garfield | Republican |
| William Rosecrans | Democratic | Register of the Treasury | 1889–1893‡ | Benjamin Harrison | Republican |
| Walter Q. Gresham | Republican | Secretary of State | 1893–1895‡ | Grover Cleveland | Democratic |
| Theodore Roosevelt | Republican | Civil Service Commissioner | 1893–1895‡ | Grover Cleveland | Democratic |
| Edward S. Bragg | Democratic | Consul General in Havana | 1902 | Theodore Roosevelt | Republican |
| Edward S. Bragg | Democratic | Consul General in Hong Kong | 1903–1906 | Theodore Roosevelt | Republican |
| Luke E. Wright | Democratic | Secretary of War | 1908–1909 | Theodore Roosevelt | Republican |
| Francis Cockrell | Democratic | Interstate Commerce Commissioner | 1905–1910 | Theodore Roosevelt | Republican |
| Jacob M. Dickinson | Democratic | Secretary of War | 1909–1911 | William Howard Taft | Republican |
| Elihu Root | Republican | Ambassador extraordinary, mission to Russia | 1917 |
| Edmund Platt | Republican | Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve | 1920–1921 |
| Daniel Richard Crissinger | Democratic | Chairman of the Federal Reserve | 1923 | Warren Harding | Republican |
| Theodore Roosevelt Jr. | Republican | Governor-General of the Philippines | 1933‡ | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| Hugh R. Wilson | Republican | Ambassador to Switzerland | 1933–1937‡ | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| Hugh R. Wilson | Republican | Assistant Secretary of State | 1937–1938 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| Hugh R. Wilson | Republican | Ambassador to Germany | 1938 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| William M. Jardine | Republican | Ambassador to Egypt | 1933‡ | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| William H. Woodin | Republican | Secretary of the Treasury | 1933 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| Marriner S. Eccles | Republican | Chairman of the Federal Reserve | 1933–1948 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| Henry Stimson | Republican | Secretary of War | 1940–1945 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| Robert P. Patterson | Republican | Under Secretary of War | 1940–1945 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| Frank Knox | Republican | Secretary of the Navy | 1940–1944 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| Nelson Rockefeller | Republican | Coordinator of the Office of Inter-American Affairs | 1940–1944 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| Nelson Rockefeller | Republican | Assistant Secretary of State for American Republic Affairs | 1944–1945 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| Fiorello La Guardia | Republican | Office of Civilian Defense | 1941 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| William Donovan | Republican | Head of the Office of the Coordinator of Information | 1941–1942 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| William Donovan | Republican | Head of the Office of Strategic Services | 1942–1945 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| Patrick J. Hurley | Republican | Minister to New Zealand | 1942 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| Patrick J. Hurley | Republican | Ambassador to China | 1945 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| John Gilbert Winant | Republican | Ambassador to Britain | 1941–1946 | Franklin Roosevelt | Democratic |
| John Gilbert Winant | Republican | U.S. Representative to UNESCO | 1946 | Harry S. Truman | Democratic |
| Robert P. Patterson | Republican | Secretary of War | 1945–1947 | Harry S. Truman | Democratic |
| Lewis Strauss | Republican | Member of the Atomic Energy Commission | 1946–1950 | Harry S. Truman | Democratic |
| Herbert Hoover | Republican | Chairman of the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government (Hoover Commission) | 1947 | Harry S. Truman | Democratic |
| Warren Austin | Republican | Ambassador to the United Nations | 1947–1953 | Harry S. Truman | Democratic |
| Thomas B. McCabe | Republican | Chairman of the Federal Reserve | 1948–1951 | Harry S. Truman | Democratic |
| John Sherman Cooper | Republican | U.S. Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly | 1949–1952 | Harry S. Truman | Democratic |
| Robert A. Lovett | Republican | Secretary of Defense | 1951–1953 | Harry S. Truman | Democratic |
| Martin Patrick Durkin | Democratic | Secretary of Labor | 1953 | Dwight Eisenhower | Republican |
| Walter F. George | Democratic | Special Ambassador to NATO | 1957 | Dwight Eisenhower | Republican |
| William McChesney Martin | Democratic | Chairman of the Federal Reserve | 1955–1961‡ | Dwight Eisenhower | Republican |
| Robert Bernard Anderson | Democratic | Secretary of Navy | 1953–1954 | Dwight Eisenhower | Republican |
| Robert Bernard Anderson | Democratic | Deputy Secretary of Defense | 1954–1957 | Dwight Eisenhower | Republican |
| Robert Bernard Anderson | Democratic | Secretary of the Treasury | 1957–1961 | Dwight Eisenhower | Republican |
| Robert McNamara | Republican | Secretary of Defense | 1961–1968 | John F. Kennedy | Democratic |
| C. Douglas Dillon | Republican | Secretary of the Treasury | 1961–1965 | John F. Kennedy | Democratic |
| John McCone | Republican | Director of Central Intelligence | 1961–1965 | John F. Kennedy | Democratic |
| McGeorge Bundy | Republican | National Security Advisor | 1961–1966 | John F. Kennedy | Democratic |
| Christian Herter | Republican | U.S. Trade Representative | 1962–1966 | John F. Kennedy | Democratic |
| Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. | Republican | Ambassador to South Vietnam | 1963–1964 | John F. Kennedy | Democratic |
| Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. | Republican | Ambassador to South Vietnam | 1965–1967 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Democratic |
| Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. | Republican | Ambassador-at-large | 1967–1968 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Democratic |
| Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. | Republican | Ambassador to West Germany | 1968–1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Democratic |
| John W. Gardner | Republican | Secretary of Health and Human Services | 1965–1968 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Democratic |
| Jack Vaughn | Republican | Director of the Peace Corps | 1966–1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Democratic |
| Edward Brooke | Republican | Member of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (Kerner Commission) | 1967 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Democratic |
| John Lindsay | Republican | Vice Chairman of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (Kerner Commission) | 1967 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Democratic |
| William McCulloch | Republican | Member of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (Kerner Commission) | 1967 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Democratic |
| Erwin Griswold | Republican | Solicitor General | 1967–1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Democratic |
| William H. Brown III | Republican | Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner | 1968–1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Democratic |
| Sargent Shriver | Democratic | Ambassador to France | 1969–1970‡ | Richard Nixon | Republican |
| Elizabeth Hanford | Democratic | Deputy Assistant to president for Consumer Affairs | 1969–1973 | Richard Nixon | Republican |
| Elizabeth Hanford | Democratic | Federal Trade Commissioner | 1973–1977 | Richard Nixon | Republican |
| Paul Volcker | Democratic | Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Monetary Affairs | 1969–1974 | Richard Nixon | Republican |
| John Connally | Democratic | Secretary of the Treasury | 1971–1972 | Richard Nixon | Republican |
| George W. Mitchell | Democratic | Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve | 1973–1974 | Richard Nixon | Republican |
| Armistead I. Selden Jr. | Democratic | Ambassador to Fiji | 1974–1977 | Richard Nixon | Republican |
| Daniel Patrick Moynihan | Democratic | Assistant for Urban Affairs | 1969–1970 | Richard Nixon | Republican |
| Daniel Patrick Moynihan | Democratic | Ambassador to India | 1973–1975 | Richard Nixon | Republican |
| Daniel Patrick Moynihan | Democratic | Ambassador to India | 1973–1975 | Gerald Ford | Republican |
| Daniel Patrick Moynihan | Democratic | Ambassador to the United Nations | 1975–1976 | Gerald Ford | Republican |
| Armistead I. Selden Jr. | Democratic | Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa | 1974–1977 | Gerald Ford | Republican |
| Togo D. West Jr. | Democratic | Associate Deputy Attorney General | 1975–1976 | Gerald Ford | Republican |
| Robert Casey | Democratic | Federal Maritime Commissioner | 1976–1977 | Gerald Ford | Republican |
| James Schlesinger | Republican | Secretary of Energy | 1977–1979 | Jimmy Carter | Democratic |
| Lawrence Eagleburger | Republican | Ambassador to Yugoslavia | 1977–1981 | Jimmy Carter | Democratic |
| Kingman Brewster Jr. | Republican | Ambassador to the United Kingdom | 1977–1981 | Jimmy Carter | Democratic |
| William H. Webster | Republican | Director of the FBI | 1978–1981 | Jimmy Carter | Democratic |
| Frank Carlucci | Republican | Deputy Director of the CIA | 1978–1981 | Jimmy Carter | Democratic |
| Mike Mansfield | Democratic | Ambassador to Japan | 1981–1988‡ | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Paul Volcker | Democratic | Chairman of the Federal Reserve | 1983–1987‡ | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Jeane Kirkpatrick | Democratic | Ambassador to the United Nations | 1981–1985 | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| William Bennett | Democratic | Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities | 1981–1985 | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| William Bennett | Democratic | Secretary of Education | 1985–1988 | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| R. James Woolsey Jr. | Democratic | Delegate at Large to the U.S.-Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction Talks | 1983–1986 | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| R. James Woolsey Jr. | Democratic | Delegate to the Nuclear and Space Arms Talks | 1986–1987 | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Paul Nitze | Democratic | Chief Negotiator of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty | 1981–1984 | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Eric J. Fygi | Democratic | Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Energy | 1981–1989‡ | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Max Kampelman | Democratic | Ambassador to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe | 1981–1983‡ | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Max Kampelman | Democratic | Delegation to the Negotiations with the Soviet Union on Nuclear and Space Arms in Geneva | 1985–1989 | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Max Kampelman | Democratic | Counselor to the Department of State | 1987–1989 | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Richard Stone | Democratic | Ambassadors-at-large and Special Envoy to Central America | 1983–1984 | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Preston Robert Tisch | Democratic | Postmaster General | 1986–1988 | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| John P. LaWare | Democratic | Federal Reserve Board of Governors | 1988–1989 | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Lauro Cavazos | Democratic | Secretary of Education | 1988–1990 | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Lauro Cavazos | Democratic | Secretary of Education | 1988–1990 | George H. W. Bush | Republican |
| Dennis B. Ross | Democratic | Director of the State Department's Policy Planning Staff | 1989–1992 | George H. W. Bush | Republican |
| Eric J. Fygi | Democratic | Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Energy | 1989–1993‡ | George H. W. Bush | Republican |
| Griffin Bell | Democratic | Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform | 1989 | George H. W. Bush | Republican |
| William Hathaway | Democratic | Federal Maritime Commissioner | 1990–1993 | George H. W. Bush | Republican |
| Robert Strauss | Democratic | Ambassador to Soviet Union/Russia | 1991–1992 | George H. W. Bush | Republican |
| Diane Ravitch | Democratic | Assistant Secretary of Education | 1991–1993 | George H. W. Bush | Republican |
| Richard Stone | Democratic | Ambassador to Denmark | 1992–1993 | George H. W. Bush | Republican |
| Michael Chertoff | Republican | Attorney for the District of New Jersey | 1993–1994‡ | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| William S. Sessions | Republican | Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation | 1993‡ | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| David Gergen | Republican | Counselor to the President | 1993–1993 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| Sheila Bair | Republican | Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Acting | 1993 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| Roger W. Johnson | Republican | GSA Administrator | 1993–1996 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| Louis Freeh | Republican | Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation | 1993–2001 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| John Negroponte | Republican | Ambassador to the Philippines | 1993–1996 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| William J. Crowe | Republican | Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board | 1993–1994 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| William J. Crowe | Republican | Ambassador to the United Kingdom | 1994–1997 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| Julie Belaga | Republican | Board of Directors of the Export Import Bank | 1994–1999 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| Marc L. Marks | Republican | Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commissioner | 1994–2000 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| John Hamre | Republican | Comptroller of the Department of Defense | 1994–1997 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| John Hamre | Republican | Deputy Secretary of Defense | 1997–2000 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| Alan Greenspan | Republican | Chairman of the Federal Reserve | 1995–2001‡ | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| William Cohen | Republican | Secretary of Defense | 1997–2001 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| Robert Mueller | Republican | Attorney for the Northern District of California | 1998–2001 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| David M. Walker | Republican | Comptroller General of the United States | 1998–2001 | Bill Clinton | Democratic |
| John DiIulio | Democratic | Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives | 2001 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| George McGovern | Democratic | Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture | 2001‡ | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Richard Swett | Democratic | Ambassador to Denmark | 2001‡ | George W. Bush | Republican |
| John Marburger | Democratic | Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy | 2001–2009 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Tom Schieffer | Democratic | Ambassador to Australia | 2001–2005 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Tom Schieffer | Democratic | Ambassador to Japan | 2005–2009 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Eric J. Fygi | Democratic | Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Energy | 2001–2009‡ | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Norman Mineta | Democratic | Secretary of Transportation | 2001–2006 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Richard Carmona | Democratic | Surgeon General | 2002–2006 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Tony P. Hall | Democratic | Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture | 2002–2006 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Paul McHale | Democratic | Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense | 2003–2009 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Gracia Hillman | Democratic | Election Assistance Commissioner | 2003–2009 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Pam Iovino | Democratic | Assistant VA Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs | 2004–2005 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Joseph E. Brennan | Democratic | Federal Maritime Commissioner | 2004–2009‡ | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Christine Griffin | Democratic | Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner | 2005–2009 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| R. David Paulison | Democratic | Federal Emergency Management Agency | 2005–2009 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Pete Geren | Democratic | Acting Secretary of the Air Force | 2005 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Pete Geren | Democratic | Secretary of the Army | 2006–2009 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Zell Miller | Democratic | American Battle Monuments Commission member | 2005–2009 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Lanny Davis | Democratic | Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board | 2006–2007 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Diane Farrell | Democratic | Board of Directors of the Export Import Bank | 2007–2009 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Lois Lerner | Democratic | Director Exempt Organizations | 2006–2009 | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Neel Kashkari | Republican | Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability | 2009‡ | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Michael B. Donley | Republican | Secretary of the Air Force | 2009–2013‡ | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Robert Mueller | Republican | Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation | 2009–2013‡ | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Ray LaHood | Republican | Secretary of Transportation | 2009–2013 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Robert Gates | Republican | Secretary of Defense | 2009–2011‡ | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Jon Huntsman Jr. | Republican | Ambassador to China | 2009–2011 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Dan Rooney | Republican | Ambassador to Ireland | 2009–2012 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Douglas Kmiec | Republican | Ambassador to Malta | 2009–2011 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| John M. McHugh | Republican | Secretary of the Army | 2009–2015 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Jim Leach | Republican | Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities | 2009–2013 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Chuck Hagel | Republican | Co-chair of President's Intelligence Advisory Board | 2009–2013 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Chuck Hagel | Republican | Secretary of Defense | 2013–2015 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Larry Pressler | Republican | U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad | 2009–2014 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Ben Bernanke | Republican | Chairman of the Federal Reserve | 2009–2014‡ | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Connie Morella | Republican | American Battle Monuments Commission member | 2010–2017 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Jeff Immelt | Republican | Chairperson of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness | 2011–2013 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Jerome Powell | Republican | Federal Reserve Board of Governors | 2012–2017 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| James Comey | Republican | Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation | 2013–2017 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Sloan D. Gibson | Republican | United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs | 2014–2017 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Robert A. McDonald | Republican | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | 2014–2017 | Barack Obama | Democratic |
| Michael Flynn | Democratic | National Security Advisor | 2017 | Donald Trump | Republican |
| Gary Cohn | Democratic | Director of the National Economic Council | 2017–2018 | Donald Trump | Republican |
| Ivanka Trump | Democratic | Advisor to the President | 2017–2021 | Donald Trump | Republican |
| Peter Navarro | Democratic | Director of the National Trade Council | 2017 | Donald Trump | Republican |
| Peter Navarro | Democratic | Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy | 2017–2021 | Donald Trump | Republican |
| Robert O. Work | Democratic | Deputy Secretary of Defense | 2017‡ | Donald Trump | Republican |
| Eric J. Fygi | Democratic | Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Energy | 2017–2021‡ | Donald Trump | Republican |
| Dan Maffei | Democratic | Federal Maritime Commissioner | 2019–2021‡ | Donald Trump | Republican |
| Christopher A. Wray | Republican | Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation | 2021–2025‡ | Joe Biden | Democratic |
| Zalmay Khalilzad | Republican | U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation | 2021‡ | Joe Biden | Democratic |
| John J. Sullivan | Republican | Ambassador to Russia | 2021–2022‡ | Joe Biden | Democratic |
| Jeff Flake | Republican | Ambassador to Turkey | 2021–2024 | Joe Biden | Democratic |
| Cindy McCain | Republican | Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture | 2021–2023 | Joe Biden | Democratic |
| Jerome Powell | Republican | Chairman of the Federal Reserve | 2022–present‡ | Joe Biden | Democratic |
| Meg Whitman | Republican | Ambassador to Kenya | 2022–2024 | Joe Biden | Democratic |
| Michael B. Donley | Republican | Director of Administration and Management | 2021–2023 | Joe Biden | Democratic |
| Amer Ghalib | Democratic | Ambassador to Kuwait | 2025–present | Donald Trump | Republican |
‡ Person was an appointee of the previous administration and was reappointed or retained by the President.

## Other notable appointments that crossed party lines

* President Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, appointed William Cranch, a Federalist, as Chief Judge of the United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia.
* President Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, asked Charles Lee, a Federalist, to be appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
* President John Quincy Adams, a Democratic-Republican, appointed Joseph Hopkinson, a Federalist, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
* President Franklin Pierce, a Democrat, appointed Isaac Blackford, a Whig, as a judge on the United States Court of Claims.
* President Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, appointed Stephen Field, a Democrat, as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
* President Andrew Johnson, a Democrat, appointed Samuel Blatchford, a Republican, as Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
* President Andrew Johnson, a Democrat, appointed Daniel Clark, a Republican, as Judge on the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire.
* President Rutherford B. Hayes, a Republican, appointed David M. Key, a Democrat, as Judge on the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Tennessee.
* President Benjamin Harrison, a Republican, appointed Howell Edmunds Jackson, a Democrat, as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
* President William Howard Taft, a Republican, appointed Horace Harmon Lurton, a Democrat, as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
* President William Howard Taft, a Republican, appointed Edward Douglass White, a Democrat, as Chief Justice of the United States.
* President William Howard Taft, a Republican, appointed Joseph Rucker Lamar, a Democrat, as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
* President Warren G. Harding, a Republican, appointed Pierce Butler, a Democrat, as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
* President Calvin Coolidge, a Republican, appointed John Ellis Martineau, a Democrat, as Judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
* President Herbert Hoover, a Republican, appointed Benjamin N. Cardozo, a prominent Democrat, as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
* President Herbert Hoover, a Republican, appointed Eugene Black, a Democrat, as a member of the U.S. Board of Tax Appeals.
* President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, appointed Harlan F. Stone, a Republican, as Chief Justice of the United States.
* President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, appointed Robert P. Patterson, a Republican, as Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
* President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, appointed William Clark, a Republican, as Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
* President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, appointed Duncan Lawrence Groner, a Republican, as Chief Justice of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
* President Harry S. Truman, a Democrat, appointed U.S. Senator Harold Hitz Burton, a Republican, as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
* President Harry S. Truman, a Democrat, appointed Ernest W. Gibson Jr., a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of Vermont.
* President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican, appointed William J. Brennan Jr., a Democrat, as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
* President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican, appointed J. Joseph Smith, a Democrat, as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
* President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican, appointed Clement Haynsworth, a Democrat, as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
* President John F. Kennedy, a Democrat, appointed Harold R. Tyler Jr., a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
* President Richard Nixon, a Republican, appointed Donald S. Russell, a former U.S. senator and Democrat, as judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
* President Richard Nixon, a Republican, appointed Walter R. Mansfield, a Democrat, as judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
* President Richard Nixon, a Republican, appointed Charles Clark, a Democrat, as judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
* President Richard Nixon, a Republican, nominated Clement Haynsworth, a Democrat, as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
* President Richard Nixon, a Republican, appointed Lewis F. Powell Jr., a lifelong Democrat, as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
* President Gerald Ford, a Republican, appointed Terry Shell, a Democrat, as Judge on the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas.
* President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, appointed Frank Minis Johnson, a Republican, as judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
* President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, appointed Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy, a Republican, as judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
* President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, appointed Otto Richard Skopil Jr., a Republican, as judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
* President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, appointed U.S. Representative Sam B. Hall Jr., a Democrat, as Judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
* President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, appointed Kimba Wood, a Democrat, as Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
* President George H. W. Bush, a Republican, appointed Sonia Sotomayor, a Democrat, as Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
* President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, appointed Maryanne Trump Barry, a Republican, as judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
* President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, appointed Richard C. Tallman, a Republican, as judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
* President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, appointed Stanley Marcus, a Republican, as judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
* President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, appointed Yvette Kane, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
* President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, appointed Richard Barclay Surrick, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
* President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, nominated Admiral Bobby Ray Inman, a Republican, as Secretary of Defense.
* President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, nominated Governor of Massachusetts William Weld, a Republican, as United States ambassador to Mexico.
* President George W. Bush, a Republican, appointed Philip Ray Martinez, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.
* President George W. Bush, a Republican, appointed C. Darnell Jones II, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
* President George W. Bush, a Republican, appointed Legrome D. Davis, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
* President George W. Bush, a Republican, appointed Timothy J. Savage, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
* President George W. Bush, a Republican, appointed David S. Cercone, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
* President George W. Bush, a Republican, appointed Freda L. Wolfson, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, nominated U.S. Senator Judd Gregg, a Republican, as United States Secretary of Commerce.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appointed Matthew W. Brann, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appointed Gregory N. Stivers, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appointed Thomas M. Durkin, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appointed John Robert Blakey, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appointed Jeffrey L. Schmehl, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appointed Edward G. Smith, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appointed Jerry Pappert, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appointed Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appointed John Tharp, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appointed David Barlow, a Republican, as United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the District of Utah.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, nominated William F. Jung, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, nominated Karen Gren Scholer, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
* President Barack Obama, a Democrat, nominated Marilyn Horan, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
* President Donald Trump, a Republican, nominated Nellie Liang, a Democrat, to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
* President Donald Trump, a Republican, appointed Susan Paradise Baxter, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
* President Donald Trump, a Republican, appointed Robert J. Colville, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
* President Donald Trump, a Republican, appointed John Milton Younge, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
* President Donald Trump, a Republican, appointed Lewis J. Liman, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
* President Donald Trump, a Republican, appointed Mary S. McElroy, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island.
* President Donald Trump, a Republican, appointed Maryellen Noreika, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.
* President Donald Trump, a Republican, appointed Stephanie D. Davis, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
* President Donald Trump, a Republican, nominated Hector Gonzalez, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
* President Donald Trump, a Republican, nominated Jennifer H. Rearden, a Democrat, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
* President Joe Biden, a Democrat, appointed Kim Wyman, a Republican, to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
* President Joe Biden, a Democrat, appointed Kelly H. Rankin, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming.
* President Joe Biden, a Democrat, appointed Camela C. Theeler, a Republican, as a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota.