Washingtonians In Presidential Appointments

The dismissive comments of our U.S. Senators when asked whether they would like to be vice president got us thinking about the geographic diversity of past administrations and whether there were any Washingtonians.

There has never been a vice president from Washington State, and probably won’t be one this year according to Senators Cantwell and Murray. New York leads with 11 vice presidents hailing from the Empire State, followed by Indiana at five and Massachusetts at four.

Of course, there’s never been a president from Washington State either. New York and Virginia are tied for the lead on that count, with six apiece, followed by Ohio with five and Massachusetts with four.

But presidents have (very) occasionally favored Washington with prominent appointments:

Only one Washingtonian has served in a presidential cabinet position. Senator Brock Adams, a transplant originally from Atlanta, served as Secretary of Transportation under President Carter. Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson, from Everett, declined President Nixon’s invitation to serve as Secretary of Defense.

Nixon did pick up a Washingtonian when he appointed Dixy Lee Ray, of Tacoma, to the Atomic Energy Commission. She went on to become governor.

Finally, F.D.R. appointed Justice William O. Douglas, of Yakima, to the U.S. Supreme Court after a stint as an SEC Commissioner. Douglas served for 36 years and 209 days, the longest term in Supreme Court history.

Of our current crop, we suppose that Rep. Jay Inslee hitched his Interior dreams to Hillary. Whoever wins the White House gets to make the plum picks – and our advice to the next President? Go west.