2008 Plum Book
Interactive version of 2008 Plum Book now in Search for Opportunities.
Charting Cabinet Appointments in Past Administrations
The predominant source of candidates for Cabinet-level appointments during the past forty years has been previous Federal appointments. The second-largest source has been the private sector. The third-largest source has been elected Federal officials, followed by state and local government officials, and then the education sector.
Note that the number of Cabinet-level appointments have varied by President as they have included both the standard Executive branch Cabinet agencies and positions elevated during a particular administration, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and National Security Council under George W. Bush.
The PDF below shows the sectors from which Cabient-level appointments came immediately prior to their appointment. This data is depicted by President and by term. The past eleven administrations (in chronological order) include:
-- Richard M. Nixon – Terms I & II (1969-1974)
-- Gerald R. Ford, Jr. (1974-1977)
-- James E. Carter (1977-1981)
-- Ronald W. Reagan – Terms I & II (1981-1989)
-- George H.W. Bush (1989-1993)
-- William J. Clinton – Terms I & II (1993-2001)
-- George W. Bush – Terms I & II (2001-2009)
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