Sergeant Foley
Well-known member
The Cabinet of President Albert Arnold Gore, Jr.,
November 28, 1996
It had been less than five days since the events of November 23rd in Manila, Philippines altered the American political landscape, President Gore (who was still residing in the Number One Observatory Circle residence) had been working non-stop since ascending to the nation's highest office, making him one of several who ascended to the Presidency through assassination of their predecessor: Andrew Johnson (1865), Chester Alan Arthur (1881), Theodore Roosevelt (1901), Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963), Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (1975), George Herbert Walker Bush (1983) and now Gore himself (1996). November 28, 1996
President Gore asked the Cabinet to remain in place, although some would have to leave before the upcoming January 20, 1997 Inauguration:
The Presidential Cabinet as of November 28, 1996:
President: Albert Gore, Jr., (D-TN) since November 23, 1996
Vice President: VACANT
Secretary of State: Warren Christopher (D-CA)
Secretary of the Treasury: Robert Rubin (D-NY St)
Secretary of Defense: William Perry (I-PA)
Attorney General: Janet Reno (D-FL)
Secretary of the Interior: Bruce Babbitt (D-AZ)
Secretary of Agriculture: Dan Glickman (D-KS)
Secretary of Commerce: Mickey Kantor (D-TN)
Secretary of Labor: Robert Reich (D-MA)
Secretary of Health & Human Services: Donna Shalala (D-FL)
Secretary of Housing & Urban Development: Henry Cisneros (D-TX)
Secretary of Transportation: Federico Pena (D-CO)
Secretary of Energy: Hazel O'Leary (D-VA)
Secretary of Education: Richard Riley (D-SC)
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Jesse Brown (D-IL)
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: Carol Browner
Director of the Office of Management & Budget: Franklin Raines
US Trade Representative: Charlene Barshefsky
US Ambassador to the United Nations: Madeline Albright
Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers: Joseph Stiglitz
Administrator of the Small Business Administration: Philip Lader
Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency: James Lee Witt
Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy: Barry McCaffrey
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency: John M. Deutch
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation:
White House Chief of Staff: Leon Panetta (D-CA)
While the American people was mourning the loss of the 43rd President, the Gore White House were doing research for suitable Vice Presidential replacements to replace Gore on the Democratic Party's ticket. The shortlist had ranged from members of Congress such as United States Senators Juan H. Cinton Garcia (D-PR) or J. Bennett Johnston (D-LA); military figures even US State Governors like former NY St Governor Mario Cuomo (D) or FL Governor Lawton Chiles (D). The electors were allowed to change their votes without being penalized, owing to the unique circumstances of what just transpired in Manila five days earlier. The states, however, weren't legally allowed in binding electors to a deceased candidate. With the decision finally made, White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry announced in a White House press briefing that President Gore had selected former Texas Governor Mark W. White, Jr., (D) as the Vice Presidential choice, which surprised many political analysts and observers. White, 56, was working in the private sector in Houston, Texas when the news of Clinton's assassination broke out on November 23rd, when asked about his selection as Vice President, he said "I was surprised the White House selected me, but I spoke to President Gore and told him I will serve his administration with honor and integrity."
Former Texas Governor Mark W. White, Jr., (D) interviewed by Dave Ward of ABC 13 KTRK-TV Houston.
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