WASHINGTON — My latest Letter From Washington details why Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts is an excellent choice to be secretary of state.
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Of the last 10 secretaries of state, Sen. Kerry will be only the second politician; the other is the incumbent, former Sen. Hillary Clinton.
It didn’t used to be that way. In America’s first 40 years, five future presidents held the post: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams and Martin Van Buren. From 1825 to 1850, three of the legendary members of the Senate, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun, all served a stint as top diplomat.
Sen. Kerry won’t be the first defeated presidential candidate in the job. James Blaine in the 1880s, William Jennings Bryan 30 years later and Ed Muskie in 1980, all lost races for the presidency and later were tapped as secretary of state.
Most politicians served relatively short stints at the State Department. The longest-serving secretary was Cordell Hull under Franklin D. Roosevelt: 11 years and nine months before and during World War II.
Sen. Kerry will be the eighth secretary from Massachusetts, the first since Christian Herter in the last years of the Eisenhower Administration. Another Bay State predecessor was Edward Everett in 1852-53. A decade later, he was featured speaker at the dedication of the National Cemetery in Gettysburg. His two-hour oration was overshadowed by a two-minute address by a fellow named Lincoln.
IHT Rendezvous: The Illustrious and Twisted Paths to Secretary of State
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IHT Rendezvous: The Illustrious and Twisted Paths to Secretary of State
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IHT Rendezvous: The Illustrious and Twisted Paths to Secretary of State
