Mr. Stewart Goes to Washington
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But it wasn't prophetic. Herbert Hoover was a businessman, who had retired to become a humanitarian organizer and then Sec. of Commerce. Businessman Wendell Willkie ran for President in 1940. Several nineteenth century Presidents and other politicians also had large business interests. Polk and Taylor had large plantations.
So did US Senator Jeff Davis. Publisher William Randolph Hearst was elected to the House; publisher Frank Knox was nominated for Vice President in 1936. Railroad magnate Leland Stanford was governor and Senator in California.
As to actors, Helen Gahagan Douglas, a former Broadway star (and one-movie film actress) had been elected to the House in 1944, serving three terms.
January, 1959-January, 1960: Almost immediately upon coming into office as Governor of California, James Stewart immediately gets to work. While his opponent Pat Brown had emphasized the development of the California State Water Project, Stewart decried the notion as unnecessary government intervention and for the environmental issues raised by such a project. While giving a speech near the San Francisco Bay, Governor Stewart stated: "We have been given a gift by living here. California has been home to some of the most beautiful waters in the world and as long as I am Governor we will not give them up to the government."
Governor Stewart would also work with California State Assembly Speaker Jesse Unruh to make government simpler for the people. The two would begin the process of overseeing the drafting of a new California constitution with the aim to make it simpler and enhance individual rights.
Taking advice from his former opponent Pat Brown, Stewart allowed for the California Master Plan for Education to be created with the hope of providing a better education for the people of California.
Stewart's approval numbers amongst Republicans would remain in the 80% range during his first year in office while his approval with Democrats hovered around the 40% range. Despite this, his personal approval ratings among both parties stayed relatively high, never going lower than 65%.
January 25th, 1960: Walt Disney announces an ambitious project to create the "Disney Channel". The Disney Channel would be a channel on TV stations nationwide that would broadcast old Disney cartoons, original programming, and a reboot of the Mickey Mouse Club.
July 11th-15th, 1960: The 1960 Democratic Presidential Convention in Los Angeles, California, does not go as planned. Despite starting out with an early lead for the nomination through a number of primary wins, John F. Kennedy falls short of the 1960 Democratic Presidential nomination after California Democrats call their delegates for former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson. This pushes the nomination to the second ballot, where some begin to question if Kennedy, a Catholic, can really win against Richard Nixon. Several ballots pass before Senate Majority Leader and Texas Senator Lyndon Johnson edges out Kennedy for the nomination. Lyndon Johnson chooses New Jersey Governor Robert B. Meyner (in an attempt to appeal to the East Coast) as his Vice-Presidential nominee.
July 25th, 1960: The Republican National Convention meets in Chicago, IL to pick their Presidential nominee. Governor James Stewart has thrown his support behind Vice-President Richard Nixon and has been chosen to put the Vice-President's name into nomination at the convention. Despite his support of Vice-President Nixon, however, a Draft Stewart group has said that they will only support California's "true" candidate, their governor.
Governor Stewart would also work with California State Assembly Speaker Jesse Unruh to make government simpler for the people. The two would begin the process of overseeing the drafting of a new California constitution with the aim to make it simpler and enhance individual rights.
Taking advice from his former opponent Pat Brown, Stewart allowed for the California Master Plan for Education to be created with the hope of providing a better education for the people of California.
Stewart's approval numbers amongst Republicans would remain in the 80% range during his first year in office while his approval with Democrats hovered around the 40% range. Despite this, his personal approval ratings among both parties stayed relatively high, never going lower than 65%.
January 25th, 1960: Walt Disney announces an ambitious project to create the "Disney Channel". The Disney Channel would be a channel on TV stations nationwide that would broadcast old Disney cartoons, original programming, and a reboot of the Mickey Mouse Club.
July 11th-15th, 1960: The 1960 Democratic Presidential Convention in Los Angeles, California, does not go as planned. Despite starting out with an early lead for the nomination through a number of primary wins, John F. Kennedy falls short of the 1960 Democratic Presidential nomination after California Democrats call their delegates for former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson. This pushes the nomination to the second ballot, where some begin to question if Kennedy, a Catholic, can really win against Richard Nixon. Several ballots pass before Senate Majority Leader and Texas Senator Lyndon Johnson edges out Kennedy for the nomination. Lyndon Johnson chooses New Jersey Governor Robert B. Meyner (in an attempt to appeal to the East Coast) as his Vice-Presidential nominee.
July 25th, 1960: The Republican National Convention meets in Chicago, IL to pick their Presidential nominee. Governor James Stewart has thrown his support behind Vice-President Richard Nixon and has been chosen to put the Vice-President's name into nomination at the convention. Despite his support of Vice-President Nixon, however, a Draft Stewart group has said that they will only support California's "true" candidate, their governor.
July 27th, 1960: Despite some hoping to the contrary from some party regulars, Stewart refuses to have his name put into nomination for President. Instead he delivers a stirring nominating address for Vice-President Richard Nixon. One of the most remembered statements in the speech is: "You and I are told increasingly we have to choose between a left or right. Well I'd like to suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There's only an up or down: [up] man's old -- old-aged dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order, or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. And regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course." Ronald Reagan is later heard exclaiming: "That man took the words right out of my mouth". Nixon is nominated as president and chooses former Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. as his running mate.
August 15th, 1960: Democratic nominee Lyndon Johnson leaves a meeting with Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. It was a secret to no one that Daley preferred John F. Kennedy for the nomination, but promises Johnson his support on three conditions:
1. Kennedy be made either U.S. Secretary of State or U.N. Ambassador
2. Johnson dump Meyner from the ticket in 1964 in favor of Kennedy
3. Johnson throw his support behind Robert Kennedy for DNC Chairman in the upcoming election
August-November, 1960: Both Nixon and Johnson campaign hard for the Presidency. Both candidates agree to a televised debate which is deemed a draw by many commentators. Both were said to know the issues very well but neither really made an impact on voters.
November 8th, 1960: Texas Senator Lyndon Johnson defeats Vice-President Richard Nixon 324-198 (Oklahoma, Alabama, and Mississippi all switch to Democrat).
November-January, 1960: Johnson releases his list of Cabinet Secretaries.
Secretary of State: J. William Fulbright
Secretary of Defense: Stuart Symington
Secretary of the Treasury: C. Douglas Dillon
Secretary of the Interior: Stewart Udall
Secretary of Agriculture: Orville Freeman
Secretary of Labor: W. Willard Wirtz
Secretary of Commerce: Luther H. Hodges
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: Edmund "Pat" Brown
Attorney General: Adlai Stevenson II
U.N. Ambassador: John F. Kennedy
National Security Advisor: Paul Nitze
Solicitor General: Abe Fortas
August 15th, 1960: Democratic nominee Lyndon Johnson leaves a meeting with Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. It was a secret to no one that Daley preferred John F. Kennedy for the nomination, but promises Johnson his support on three conditions:
1. Kennedy be made either U.S. Secretary of State or U.N. Ambassador
2. Johnson dump Meyner from the ticket in 1964 in favor of Kennedy
3. Johnson throw his support behind Robert Kennedy for DNC Chairman in the upcoming election
August-November, 1960: Both Nixon and Johnson campaign hard for the Presidency. Both candidates agree to a televised debate which is deemed a draw by many commentators. Both were said to know the issues very well but neither really made an impact on voters.
November 8th, 1960: Texas Senator Lyndon Johnson defeats Vice-President Richard Nixon 324-198 (Oklahoma, Alabama, and Mississippi all switch to Democrat).
November-January, 1960: Johnson releases his list of Cabinet Secretaries.
Secretary of State: J. William Fulbright
Secretary of Defense: Stuart Symington
Secretary of the Treasury: C. Douglas Dillon
Secretary of the Interior: Stewart Udall
Secretary of Agriculture: Orville Freeman
Secretary of Labor: W. Willard Wirtz
Secretary of Commerce: Luther H. Hodges
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: Edmund "Pat" Brown
Attorney General: Adlai Stevenson II
U.N. Ambassador: John F. Kennedy
National Security Advisor: Paul Nitze
Solicitor General: Abe Fortas
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That sounds a lot like Lyndon may end up in the hot seat in Dallas, leaving the colorless Meyner to face America's sweetheart (who was also a conservative Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force Reserve) in '64 right as Southeast Asia starts to escalate....
ETA: That is, if we don't Greenfield it up and have LBJ keel over from the stress dealing with the Cuban crisis.
ETA: That is, if we don't Greenfield it up and have LBJ keel over from the stress dealing with the Cuban crisis.
Johnson had to give a little something-something to the conservatives in the party. Besides, Fulbright was Kennedy's first-choice. He seemed like he would work well with Johnson
That makes him the "Undersecretary of Everything Else". This allows him free reign when it comes to things like hiring and firings in government projects. A lot of other people have made Thurmond at Interior because the job is so encompassing that he has control over basically everything.
JFK was not a lawyer. I believe that the AG must, by statute, be someone "learned in the law". Even if he could take the job, why would he give up a safe Senate seat to serve in the cabinet of a man he found crude, overbearing and corrupt? In OTL JFK made LBJ his running mate in order to hold the South and then promptly sidelined him from any real authority and was seriously considering dumping him from the ticket in 1964.
By 1960 Strom Thurmond was well recognized as a hard core racist. LBJ might appoint more moderate southerners to his cabinet such as Hodges, Smathers of Florida, Fulbright or Gore of Tennessee but appointing Thurmond would split the Democratic Party.
By 1960 Strom Thurmond was well recognized as a hard core racist. LBJ might appoint more moderate southerners to his cabinet such as Hodges, Smathers of Florida, Fulbright or Gore of Tennessee but appointing Thurmond would split the Democratic Party.
I don't know of anything that says that the Attorney General "has" to be a lawyer and I felt that Thurmond would be a believable enough choice.
I think you may be confusing the U.S. Department of the Interior with Ministries of the Interior in European countries. The U.S. Department of Interior is not in charge of "everything else". Rather, it is in charge of the National Parks, the Bureau of Reclamation (dams and irrigation projects) and manages Federal land holdings. Because of the Federal government's large landholdings in Western states the post of Secretary of the Interior usually goes to a Westerner such as Udall of Arizona under JFK and LBJ, Hickel of Alaska under Nixon, Babbitt of Arizona under Clinton, Jewell of Washington State under Obama and Zinke of Montana, nominated by Trump. Nominating a Southerner (and a hard core racist) like Thurmond for this post would not only alienate Western Democrats but would positively enrage Democratic liberals from Hubert Humphrey to Mennen Williams, the AFL-CIO and the NAACP. I also can't see leading liberals such as Willard Wirtz and David Lawrence serving with Thurmond.
I can't think of a single AG who wasn't a leading lawyer, judge or a member of Congress with a law degree. The statutory requirement that he be a lawyer may no longer be in effect, but I can't see a President nominating a non-lawyer to be the chief legal advisor to the President.
I can't think of a single AG who wasn't a leading lawyer, judge or a member of Congress with a law degree. The statutory requirement that he be a lawyer may no longer be in effect, but I can't see a President nominating a non-lawyer to be the chief legal advisor to the President.
I was not saying that the Secretary of the Interior was literally in charge of "everything else". That is what it is often called as a joke. I have changed both positions, though.