Madison immediately faced opposition to his planned nomination of Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin as Secretary of State. Madison chose not to fight Congress for the nomination but kept Gallatin in the Treasury Department. With Gallatin's nomination declined by the Senate, Madison settled for Robert Smith, the brother of Maryland Senator Samuel Smith, to be Secretary of State. For the next two years, Madison did most of the job of Secretary of State, due to Robert Smith's incompetence. After bitter party contention, Madison finally replaced Smith with Monroe in April 2011.
Robert Smith, Maryland Senator Samuel Smith,
Robert Smith, Maryland Senator Samuel Smith,