The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-10-01
Vice Presidents and Cabinets.

Washington specials these days are
freighted with rumors regarding President
Arthur's disposition toward the existing
Cabinet and his intention of forming new
one. These rumors, more or less specious,
are entirely untrustworthy. At the least
they are but shrewd guesses. 1t is true that
the heads of the Departments have rendered
their designations to the President, that he
has asked them to retain their portfolios for
the present, that Attorney General Nc
Veagh insists upon retiring. That is all we
certainly know about the affair; and it is
probably all we shall know until the Senate
meets in executive session on the 10th inst.
The course pursued By previous Vice
Presidents who have reached the execu-
tive chair by death of the Chief Magis-
trate is interesting for purposes of COM
parison, warning and improvement, and
an outline of it is herewith submitted
William Fl. Harrison died month after his
Inauguration, and was succeeded by John
Tyler, April A. 1S41. He continued the
Harrison cabinet, but on his veto OF the
United States bank charter, in the fall of
that year, all the members except Daniel
Webster, Secretary of State, resigned. The
following were the resigning members with
the dates on which they surrendered their
portfolios, and the names of their success
sors Thomas Ewing, of Ohio, Secretary of
the Treasury, Sept. Is, 1S41, succeeded by
Walter Forward, of Pennsylvania; John
Bell, of Tennessee, Secretary of War, Oct.
12, 1S41, succeeded by John G. Spencer, of
New York; George E. Badger, of North
Carolina, Secretary of the Navy, Sept. 13,
1871, succeeded by Abel P. Usher, of Vir-
ginia; Francis Granger, of New York,
Postmaster General, Sept. IS, 1S41, succeed
ed by Charles A. Wickliffe, of Kentucky;
John j. Crittenden, of Kentucky, Attorney
General, Sept. 13, 1S41, succeeded by Hugh
S. Legar6, of South Carolina. Mr.. Webster
held office until May 8, 1913, when he was
succeeded by Hugh S. Legare, of South
Carolina.
Zachary Taylor was inaugurated March
4, 1S49, and died July 0, 1850. His success
sor, Millard Fillmore, continued the Taylor
cabinet until July Is of that year, and with
in week from the 18th made an entire
change, substituting Daniel Webster of
Massachusetts for John NJ. Clayton of Dele
ware as Secretary of State; Thomas Cor
win of Ohio for William NJ. Meredith of
Pennsylvania, Secretary of the Treasury;
Charles M. Conrad of Louisiana for George
W. Crawford of Georgia, Secretary of War;
Will;op, A Of North Carolina for
William B. Preston of Virginia, Secretary
of the Navy; Alexander II. FL. Stuart Of
Virginia for Thomas Ewing of Ohio,
Secretary of the Interior; Nathan K. Hall OF
New York for Jacob Collamar of Vermont,
Postmaster General; John j. Crittenden of
Kentucky for Reverdy johnson of Maryland,
Attorney General.
Abraham Lincoln entered on his second
term March 4, 1865, and died April Is, the
same year. His successor, Andrew john
son, continued the Lincoln cabinet, and it
remained unchanged except by death or re-
signation until the removal of Edwin NJ.
Stanton of Ohio, Secretary of War, August
12, 1867. The Lincoln cabinet was William
81. Seward of New Y ork, Secretary of State;
Hugh McCulloch of Indiana, Secretary of
the Treasury; Edwin NJ. Stanton of Ohio,
Secretary of War; Gideon Welles of Con-
necticut, Secretary of the Navy; John P.
Usher of Indiana, Secretary of the Interior;
William Dennison of OHIO, Postmaster Gen
eral; James Speed of Kentucky, Attorney
General. OF these, Sewa ard, McCullOch and
Welles, held Office to the close of the john
son administration. Stanton was succeeded
By General Ulysses S. Grant; Grant by Ad
jutant General Lorenzo Thomas, Feb. 81,
1868, and Thomas by Gen. John NJ. Scho-
field, April %, 1868. William Dennison of
Ohio, Postmaster General, and James Speed
of Ohio, Attorney General, resigned July
II, 1866, because they did not approve of
the call for the Philadelphia Peace Conven-
ton. James Harlan of Iowa, who became
Secretary Of the Interior on the death OF
John P. Usher, resigned to accept the
Senatorship from that State.