Lindsay M. Chervinsky is a White House Historian at the White House Historical Association. She was previously a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University.
Traces the evolution of the cabinet from British history through George Washington's presidency, explaining how experimentation, personalities, internal and international crises, loyalty and betrayal, and political partisanship impacted not only the development of Washington's advisory body, but foreign and domestic policies as well. * Library Journal * A riveting, beautifully written story of George Washington's efforts to figure out how to achieve his goals in a fast-changing environment. By placing Washington's cabinet meetings within the broader narratives of the Revolutionary War and the politics of the early republic, Chervinsky brings all the tensions of the big stories into Washington's efforts to administer America's new government. She makes reading about the evolution of institutions fun! -- Johann N. Neem, author of <i>Democracy's Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America</i> Chervinsky offers a new perspective on a crucial and enduring institution in American politics, persuasively showing the centrality of the cabinet in the founding era and beyond. With clear, crisp prose and a compelling story, this book is a must-read not only for historians, political scientists, and legal scholars, but also for anyone interested in learning about a foundation of the American republic. -- Gautham Rao, author of <i>National Duties: Custom Houses and the Making of the American State</i> A clear, concise, and lively study of a topic that has long needed such coverage. Chervinsky skillfully shows the Revolutionary roots of the early cabinet and explores how it juggled precedent, public opinion, partisanship, and the balance of power. Anyone interested in American politics will want to read this informative and timely book. -- Joanne B. Freeman, author of <i>The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War</i> In this important and illuminating study, Lindsay Chervinsky has given us an original angle of vision on the foundations and development of something we all take for granted: the president's Cabinet. -- Jon Meacham, author of <i>The Soul of America</i>