Cabinet Nominees - I Learned Something New Today

Only 9 presidential cabinet nominees have ever been rejected in US history and the very first one was Secretary of the Treasury nominee, Roger B. Taney, who was rejected by the anti-Jacksonian Senate of the 23rd Congress on June 24, 1834, by a vote of 28 to 18. Reasons given for his rejection ranged from accusations that he had participated in the Baltimore Riots of 1812, to declarations that he "lacked intelligence," was "dishonest" and that he was so "weak in character" that he was a nothing more than puppet of President Andrew Jackson.

On December 28, 1835, President Jackson nominated Taney as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and sent his name for confirmation to the same 23rd Congress Senate that had earlier rejected him. The Senate decided to postpone any vote and await the enactment of pending legislation on the restructuring of the judiciary circuits. The postponement of Taney's nomination was changed to "indefinite" but on March 15, 1835, with the new pro-Jackson 24th Congress seated, Taney's nomination was confirmed by a vote of 29 to 15.
 
That's interesting, although the normal course of things now is for the White House to withdraw the nominee before a confirmation vote, if it looks like confirmation will be rejected. I'm sure that's happened at least nine times just in my own memory.
 
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