List of people who have held multiple United States Cabinet-level positions

Edmund Randolph was the first person to hold multiple Cabinet positions.

Numerous people have held multiple United States Cabinet–level positions since 1789, when the first President George Washington, appointed a Cabinet of five people to advise him and help him carry out his duties. The president's Cabinet is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, who are generally the heads of the federal executive departments. The president may additionally designate heads of other agencies as Cabinet-rank members of the Cabinet.

Unlike in many parliamentary cabinets, it is generally less common in the U.S. for a cabinet secretary to hold multiple cabinet-level positions over the years.

Edmund Randolph was the first person to serve multiple posts in the Cabinet; he was appointed attorney general in 1789 and secretary of state in 1794 by President George Washington. Randolph became the first person to hold two different Cabinet positions during the single administration. Samuel Dexter was the first person to serve multiple posts in the Cabinet under separate administrations. He was appointed by President John Adams as secretary of war in 1800 and secretary of the treasury in 1801, remaining in office briefly after Thomas Jefferson—Adams' successor assumed presidency. Patricia Roberts Harris was the first woman and first African American to serve multiple posts in the Cabinet, as well as first female to hold two different Cabinet positions during the single administration. Harris appointed by President Jimmy Carter as secretary of housing and urban development in 1977 and served as secretary of health, education, and welfare before the department split in 1979; she was the inaugural secretary of health and human services after that. Elizabeth Dole was the first woman who have served in two different Cabinet posts for two different administrations. She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as secretary of transportation in 1983 and was secretary of labor in 1989 during the tenure of George H. W. Bush—Reagan's successor.

List of multiple cabinet-level officeholders[]

The following list includes people who have lead two or more different executive departments or other Cabinet-level posts. The table below is organized by date of second appointment or election to such a position.

See also[]

• Cabinet shuffle
• List of people who have served in all three branches of the United States federal government

External links[]

• The Cabinet - Provided by the White House. Retrieved March 23, 2022.