First Jewish Member of the United States Cabinet
Titular del récord
Valor del récord
17 December 1906
On 17 December 1906, Oscar S. Straus entered office as United States Secretary of Commerce and Labor in President Theodore Roosevelt’s Cabinet. The Library of Congress identifies the appointment as the first time a Jew held a Cabinet position in the United States, while official Commerce records place his service from 17 December 1906 through 5 March 1909. The record is defined by the date Straus actually began Cabinet service, not by the earlier announcement of his nomination. His appointment joined a career in law, diplomacy, public administration and international arbitration. It also marked a visible national milestone for Jewish participation in the highest level of the federal executive branch. JWR found no earlier Jewish head of a Cabinet-rank executive department. Archival footage of Straus is retained only as holder context because no direct moving image of the 1906 appointment or oath was located.
- País representado
- Estados Unidos
- Lugar del logro
- Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C., Estados Unidos
- Fecha del logro
- 17 de diciembre de 1906
