From the founding of the republic to the present, this award winning collection offers biographical information and analysis for each cabinet secretary. Encyclopedia of the United States Cabinet covers the history of each cabinet department and all the individuals who served as cabinet secretaries, from the founding of the republic to the present. The work is organized into 20 chapters covering all cabinet departments and offices, with each chapter providing a thorough overview of the department or office, then detailed biographical and historical entries of each of the individuals who have occupied the top position in that department. Readers will gain insight into the workings of politics and government over time, while learning truly fascinating facts at the same time. Cabinet overviews detail the history and evolution of each department, including departments that no longer exist or have been merged into other departments. The book also charts the political maneuvering that preceded the creation of some departments and evaluates the importance of each office at key periods in its history. _ Organized into 20 chapters covering all cabinet departments and offices _ Numerous appendixes providing information such as the breakdown of cabinets by administration, give the user various points of access to the encyclopedia's wealth of information.