Jefferson Administrations - Jefferson's Advisers

Jefferson's Advisers

Thomas Jefferson had a much more successful presidency than his predecessor John Adams, in part due to the men he selected for his cabinet. Adams felt obliged to keep George Washington's cabinet as his own, a decision that led to political frustration. Jefferson selected his own trusted and competent men using two criteria: proven competence and loyalty to the Jeffersonian ideals of republicanism. While he tried to avoid undeserved political appointments, Jefferson chose half of his cabinet from New England to unite the North with the South. Initially, then, Jefferson was able to coordinate the executive branch without internal Republican squabbles.

Jefferson's most influential advisers were secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin and secretary of state James Madison. Gallatin was a Swiss-born American immigrant who had settled in Pennsylvania and rose quickly through the Republican ranks. Gallatin...

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