Tag Archives: Oliver Wolcott Jr

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 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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Interview with Lindsay Chervinsky

May 10, 202001 - George WashingtonAlexander Hamilton, Edmund Randolph, George Washington, Henry Knox, James Madison, John Adams, John Marshall, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Thomas Jefferson, Timothy Pickering, William Bradfordpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1789-1809

George Washington established many precedents during his tenure of office, but one that had arguably the greatest impact was his establishment, not by law but by practice, of what we now know of as the Cabinet. To examine the beginnings of this institution and what it meant for the Washington presidency, I am joined in this special episode by Lindsay Chervinsky, a historian with the White House Historical Association and author of The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution. In our conversation, Lindsay provided great insights into Washington’s thought process in turning to the Cabinet as an advisory body as well as how the events and culture of the 1790s influenced the development of the executive branch. Additional resources for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Images: Lindsay M. Chervinsky, Ph.D., courtesy of the author, and “Henry Knox” by Gilbert Stuart [c. 1806], courtesy of Wikipedia

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2.24 – The 36th Ballot

June 15, 201902 - John AdamsAaron Burr, Abigail Adams, Albert Gallatin, Alexander Hamilton, Austria, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Democratic-Republican Party, Election of 1800, Federalists, Fisher Ames, France, James A Bayard, James Madison, James McHenry, James Monroe, John Adams, John Jay, John Marshall, John Quincy Adams, Napoleon Bonaparte, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Rufus King, Samuel Dexter, Samuel Smith, Spain, Theodore Sedgwick, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas McKean, Timothy Pickering, US House, US Senate, William Cranch, William R Davie, William Smithpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1800-1801

The nation had little time to process the news that Adams was defeated in his bid for reelection as a constitutional crisis developed regarding who would succeed him to the post. Meanwhile, the outgoing president only had a few weeks remaining to secure the ratification of the Convention of Mortefontaine, get several federal judges confirmed including a new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and get a new Treasury Secretary in place. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Front View of the President’s House, in the City of Washington” [c.1807], courtesy of Wikipedia

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2.22 – Enter the Federal City

May 19, 201902 - John AdamsAlexander Hamilton, Barbary States, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Fisher Ames, France, George Cabot, Great Britain, James Callender, James McHenry, James Monroe, John Adams, John Marshall, John Quincy Adams, Napoleon Bonaparte, Oliver Ellsworth, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Samuel Dexter, slavery, Talleyrand, Timothy Pickering, Washington DC, William Duane, William R Davie, William Vans Murraypresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1799-1801

As President Adams and the federal government transition to the new federal capital, the next presidential election looms, and both Federalist and Democratic-Republican leaders work on behalf of their favored candidates to meet challenges to their prospects. While Federalists cope with an internal debate over exactly which candidate to support, Democratic-Republicans in Virginia work to cover up the involvement of French agents in Gabriel’s Rebellion. All the while, the US commission to France scrambles to conclude their work with a treaty in time for Adams and the Federalists to claim credit for winning the peace. Source notes for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “A view of the Capitol of Washington before it was burnt down by the British” by William Russell Birch [c. 1800], courtesy of Wikipedia

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2.19 – Don’t Let the Door Hit You

April 7, 201902 - John AdamsAbigail Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Stoddert, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Charles Lee, Haitian Revolution, James McHenry, John Adams, John Marshall, John Randolph of Roanoke, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Samuel Dexter, Theodore Sedgwick, Timothy Pickering, Toussaint L'Ouverturepresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1799-1800

As the presidential election of 1800 looms and party leaders begin weighing their options, President Adams decides that the time is right to make a few changes in his administration. To the President’s detriment, though, Arch Federalists are scheming at the same time to remove him from his office. Meanwhile, new congressmen are making a name for themselves, and Toussaint L’Ouverture works to consolidate his power in Hispanola. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Timothy Pickering” by Charles Willson Peale, courtesy of Wikipedia

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2.17 – Some Awful Crisis

March 10, 201902 - John AdamsAbigail Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Stoddert, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Charles Lee, Fisher Ames, France, Fries's Rebellion, George Washington, James Madison, James McHenry, John Adams, Kentucky, Oliver Ellsworth, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Thomas Jefferson, Timothy Pickering, William R Daviepresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1798-1799

In Trenton, Adams confronted his Cabinet as well as Gen. Alexander Hamilton over the peace mission to France before the government moved back to Philadelphia for one last winter. After the new session of Congress began in December 1799, news arrived which was described as a national tragedy and had many wondering what lay in store for the US as a new century dawned. Source information for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Representation of the great fire at New York” by Franz Xaver Habermann [c. 1776], courtesy of Wikipedia

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2.16 – High Noon in Trenton

February 24, 201902 - John AdamsAlexander Hamilton, Benjamin Stoddert, Charles Lee, France, Great Britain, Haitian Revolution, James McHenry, John Adams, Oliver Ellsworth, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Patrick Henry, Talleyrand, Timothy Pickering, Toussaint L'Ouverture, William R Davie, William Vans Murraypresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1798-1799

New unrest in the government of France in 1799 presented President Adams with an important decision as to whether to continue with his peace overtures. Meanwhile, competing agendas within his own administration prompt one of Adams’s Cabinet members to urge him to end his sojourn in Quincy as yet another yellow fever epidemic strikes Philadelphia. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Drawing of the New Jersey state capitol at Trenton” [c. 1879], courtesy of Wikipedia

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2.15 – Hot Time, Summer in the Country

February 10, 201902 - John AdamsAbigail Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Alien and Sedition Acts, Charles Lee, Democratic-Republican Party, Edmund Pendleton, Federalists, Fries's Rebellion, George Washington, James McHenry, James Wilkinson, John Adams, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Rufus King, slavery, Spain, Theodore Sedgwick, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mifflin, Timothy Pickering, Virginia, Washington DC, William Duanepresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1797-1799

John Adams makes a fateful decision that threatens his administration and its ability to react quickly to developing events. Meanwhile, General James Wilkinson’s past collusion with the Spanish is discovered by a government agent in the Mississippi Territory. Closer to home, Fries’s Rebellion comes to a close as harassment of Democratic-Republican newspaper editors ramps up. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Watercolor of Peacefield Before the 1800 Addition” by E Malcom [c. 1798], courtesy of Wikipedia

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2.14 – The Plausible Probability of Preserving the Peace

January 27, 201902 - John AdamsAlexander Hamilton, Benjamin Stoddert, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Charles Lee, Democratic-Republican Party, Federalists, France, Francisco de Miranda, George Washington, Haitian Revolution, James McHenry, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Oliver Ellsworth, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Patrick Henry, Robert Liston, Rufus King, Spain, Talleyrand, Theodore Sedgwick, Thomas Jefferson, Timothy Pickering, Toussaint L'Ouverture, William Vans Murraypresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1798-1799

Adams throws the American political landscape into a frenzy with a special message to Congress announcing that he was appointing a new Minister to France to negotiate peace. While exploring what this all means for Adams, his administration, and the nation, we also take a step back in this episode to look at the influence of American policy in Saint-Domingue and South America on the realities and future of Franco-American relations in 1799. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Atlantic or Western Ocean” by John Thomson [c. 1814], courtesy of Wikipedia

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Presidencies of the United States

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

Tag Archives: Oliver Wolcott Jr

SATT 006 – Timothy Pickering

SATT 003 – Edmund Randolph

Interview with Lindsay Chervinsky

2.24 – The 36th Ballot

2.22 – Enter the Federal City

2.19 – Don’t Let the Door Hit You

2.17 – Some Awful Crisis

2.16 – High Noon in Trenton

2.15 – Hot Time, Summer in the Country

2.14 – The Plausible Probability of Preserving the Peace