Organized the First U.S. Cabinet and Executive Branch

Neither the Constitution nor settled law require a cabinet. George Washington's first cabinet only had four members, although there are today sixteen cabinet-level seats. George Washington picked a cabinet with representatives from all parts of the nation in order to build legitimacy and balance.

George Washington submitted his first cabinet nomination to the Senate on September 11, 1789. A few minutes later, the Senate unanimously endorsed the appointment of Alexander Hamilton as Treasury Secretary. James Madison's description of the gatherings as "the president's cabinet" led to the group earning the nickname "cabinet." The President "may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any topic relevant to the Duties of their respective Offices," according to the constitutional reference used to support the creation of the cabinet.

In contrast to the sixteen members of the present presidential cabinet, only four original members made up George Washington's cabinet: Attorney General Edmund Randolph, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, and Secretary of War Henry Knox. By establishing the cabinet as the chief executive's personal, trusted advisors, Washington established the norms for how these responsibilities would interact with the presidency.