Category Archives: Seat at The Table

SATT 009 – James McHenry

April 18, 2022Seat at The Tablepresidencies

Tenure of Office: January 27, 1796 – June 2, 1800

James McHenry was the last individual appointed to the Cabinet of George Washington, but would being tapped to head the War Department by the esteemed first President lead to his tenure being viewed favorably by his contemporaries and by the annals of history? With my special guest, Kyle Väth of the Just Cincinnati podcast, we explore McHenry’s entire life and career along with the role he played in the Washington and Adams administrations to determine just what this signer of the Constitution brought to the table.

Featured Image: “James McHenry” by H Pollock, courtesy of Wikipedia

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SATT 008 – Charles Lee

March 20, 2022Seat at The Tablepresidencies

Tenure of Office: December 10, 1795 – March 4, 1801

Charles Lee served as legal counsel during some of the most notable trials of the Early Republic, but does that mean that his tenure as Attorney General is equally remarkable? With my special guest, Kenny from [Abridged] Presidential Histories, we explore his life and career to determine what he contributed to the Washington and Adams administrations as well as to American history in general.

Audio editing by Alex Van Rose

Featured Image: “Charles Lee” by Cephas Giovanni Thompson [c. 19th century], courtesy of Wikipedia

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SATT 007 – Oliver Wolcott Jr

February 20, 2022Seat at The Tablepresidencies

Tenure of Office: February 3, 1795 – December 31, 1800

Oliver Wolcott, Jr had big shoes to fill when he assumed office as the second Secretary of the Treasury. With my special guests, Lucy and Michelle from Tudoriferous, we explore his life and career to determine whether this member of the Washington and Adams administrations was truly up to the task of running the largest Cabinet department in the early republic.

Featured Image: “Oliver Wolcott Jr” by Gilbert Stuart [c. 1820], courtesy of Wikipedia

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SATT 006 – Timothy Pickering

January 30, 2022Seat at The TableAlexander Hamilton, Edmund Randolph, Federalists, France, George Washington, James McHenry, John Adams, Native Americans, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Spain, Timothy Pickering, William Bradfordpresidencies

Tenure of Office: January 2, 1795 – December 10, 1795 (as Secretary of War); December 10, 1795 – May 12, 1800 (as Secretary of State)

Timothy Pickering’s tenure in the Washington and Adams administrations is arguably one of the most notorious in the early republic. Thus, I had to call on Eric and Matt from the Ranking ’76: The American West podcast to join me in exploring the life of this infamous historical figure and determine what sort of a legacy he left behind.

Featured Image: “Timothy Pickering” by Charles Willson Peale [c. 1792/1793], courtesy of Wikipedia

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SATT 005 – William Bradford

December 5, 2021Seat at The TableAlexander Hamilton, Democratic-Republican Party, Edmund Randolph, Federalists, George Washington, Pennsylvania, Whiskey Rebellionpresidencies

Tenure of Office: January 27, 1794 – August 23, 1795

Though William Bradford wasn’t Attorney General for long, he did have an impact on some key events in the Washington administration. With my special guest for this episode, we examine his life and career to understand what sort of a legacy Bradford left.

Thanks so much to my special guest for this episode, Jacob from the Podcast on Germany, and special thanks to Alex Van Rose for his audio editing assistance!

Featured Image: “William Bradford” by William E Winner [c. 1872], courtesy of Wikipedia

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SATT 004 – Thomas Jefferson

November 7, 2021Seat at The TableAlexander Hamilton, Democratic-Republican Party, Edmund Randolph, Federalists, France, George Washington, Great Britain, Henry Knox, James Madison, John Adams, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Thomas Jefferson, Virginiapresidencies

Tenure of Office: March 22, 1790 – December 31, 1793

We’ve spent a good amount of time in the narrative talking about Jefferson as the third US president, but in this episode, while also exploring his life and career as a whole, we focus in a bit on Jefferson’s tenure as Secretary of State in the Washington administration.

Thanks so much to my special guests for this episode, Howard and Jess from Plodding Through the Presidents!

Featured Image: “Portrait of Thomas Jefferson” by Charles Willson Peale [c. 1791], courtesy of Wikipedia

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SATT 003 – Edmund Randolph

September 26, 2021Seat at The TableAlexander Hamilton, Edmund Randolph, France, George Washington, Great Britain, Henry Knox, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Thomas Jefferson, Timothy Pickeringpresidencies

Tenure of Office: 26 September 1789 – 20 August 1795

Edmund Randolph served in not one but two positions in the Washington administration – as Attorney General then as Secretary of State. However, will that be enough to earn him a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars? Listen to find out more about his life, career, and legacy!

Thanks so much to my special guest for this episode, Bry from Pontifacts!

Featured Image: “Edmund Randolph,” courtesy of Wikipedia

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SATT 002 – Henry Knox

August 29, 2021Seat at The TableAlexander Hamilton, American Revolution, Federalists, France, George Washington, Great Britain, Henry Knox, Massachusetts, Thomas Jefferson, US Army, US Navy, Whiskey Rebellionpresidencies

Tenure of Office: 12 September 1789 – 31 December 1794

Henry Knox served the United States as a general and as the head of the War Department for ten years, but will his life and career earn him a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars? Listen as we explore Knox’s legacy to find out!

Thanks so much to my special guests for this episode – Rob and Jamie from Totalus Rankium!

Featured Image: “Henry Knox” by Gilbert Stuart [c. 1806], courtesy of Wikipedia

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SATT 001 – Alexander Hamilton

July 31, 2021Seat at The TableAbraham Venable, Alexander Hamilton, Democratic-Republican Party, Edmund Randolph, Federalists, First Bank of the United States, France, Frederick Muhlenberg, George Washington, Great Britain, Henry Knox, James Callender, James Madison, James McHenry, James Reynolds, John Adams, John Jay, Maria Reynolds, Reynolds Affair, Thomas Jefferson, Timothy Pickering, William Branch Gilespresidencies

Tenure of Office: 11 September 1789 – 31 January 1795 (Secretary of the Treasury)

We begin our new special series with the first Cabinet member to assume office under the constitutional government – Alexander Hamilton! You may have seen the musical, but there are a few more parts of his history that didn’t make it into that production.

Thanks so much to my special guest for this episode – Alycia from the Civics & Coffee Podcast!

Featured Image: “Alexander Hamilton” by John Trumbull [c. 1805], courtesy of Wikipedia

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SATT – Intro to Ongoing Special Series

July 28, 2021Seat at The Tablepresidencies

Introduction to a new special series of episodes titled “Seat at the Table” where I will be joined by special guests each episode to discuss a Cabinet member’s life and tenure in office and rank how they did before determining if they deserve a seat at the table of Cabinet All-Stars.

Featured Images: “Alexander Hamilton” by John Trumbull [c. 1805], courtesy of Wikipedia; “Hamilton Fish” by Mathew Brady, courtesy of Wikipedia; “Frances Perkins” [c. 1932], courtesy of Wikipedia; and “Jesse Brown,” courtesy of Wikipedia

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Presidencies of the United States

A journey through presidential history from the beginning to the present day

Category Archives: Seat at The Table

SATT 009 – James McHenry

SATT 008 – Charles Lee

SATT 007 – Oliver Wolcott Jr

SATT 006 – Timothy Pickering

SATT 005 – William Bradford

SATT 004 – Thomas Jefferson

SATT 003 – Edmund Randolph

SATT 002 – Henry Knox

SATT 001 – Alexander Hamilton

SATT – Intro to Ongoing Special Series