Most influential cabinet members in U.S. history

[Virginian87]

Alexander Hamilton -as Secretary of the Treasury, probably the most influential in history
J.Q. Adams (as Secretary of State)
John Hay -Secretary of State during Spanish-American War, helped negotiate purchase of former Spanish territories, negotiated Open Door Policy with China, and a series of treaties that allowed the US to construct the Panama Canal.
Charles Evans Hughes--> refer to PBrunsel
Herbert Hoover -->ditto
Andrew Mellon--^

George Marshall and Dean Acheson -as succeeding Scretaries of State and with Marshall later as Secretary of Defense, they played important roles in forming the Truman Doctrine and the European Recovery Program

Kissinger

[Virginian87]

Teddy Roosevelt (was at first McKinley Sec. of War, wasn't he?), Herbert Hoover, Kissinger, (Colin Powell-modern)

Roosevelt was not in McKinley's cabinet until Vice President Garret Hobart died suddenly.  Roosevelt had only been Vice President for six months when McKinley was assassinated in 1901.  Influential president?  Yes.  Influential Cabinet member?  No.

[Virginian87]

Teddy Roosevelt (was at first McKinley Sec. of War, wasn't he?), Herbert Hoover, Kissinger, (Colin Powell-modern)

Roosevelt was not in McKinley's cabinet until Vice President Garret Hobart died suddenly.  Roosevelt had only been Vice President for six months when McKinley was assassinated in 1901.  Influential president?  Yes.  Influential Cabinet member?  No.

TR served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under McKinley and was very influential into getting the U.S. into te Spanish-American War.

I don't think the Asst. Secretary of the Navy was/is a Cabinet-level position.  Otherwise, you may be right.  However, the real drive to get into the Spanish-American War was the yellow journalism of Hearst and Pulitzer and the distortion of the USS Maine disaster, coupled with the generally jingoistic feeling of the times.

[Virginian87]

Bump