Presidential Biographies | Polk Administration - Polk's Advisers

Polk's Advisers

In an effort to promote party unity and assure the smooth functioning of the cabinet Polk attempted to structure his appointment decisions around three criteria: that he have no holdovers from the previous administration; that the cabinet would have representatives from all geographic regions; and that his advisers pledge to devote themselves to his administration.

There were several potential obstacles to Polk's plan. Several friends of Polk, and of Vice President Dallas, were in the outgoing administration's cabinet. The thorniest of these issues was what to do about the powerful southern leader and secretary of state, John Calhoun, whom Polk could not afford to estrange. The problem resolved itself, however, when Calhoun voluntarily stepped down from his position and pledged his support to the new administration. Polk managed to convince all but his friend John Mason, who became attorney general, to move...