Seat At The Table Episodes

Tenure of Office: January 1, 1819 - August 31, 1823Explore the life of Smith Thompson, a transitional figure in American political history who served as Secretary of the Navy under U.S. President James Monroe before ascending to the Supreme Court. This episode analyzes his leadership style, con…

Tenure of Office: December 8, 1817 - March 4, 1825 (as Secretary of War); March 4, 1825 - December 28, 1832 (as Vice President); April 1, 1844 - March 10, 1845 (as Secretary of State) Though we come to the end of Calhoun's life and career in this episode, as I and my special guests, Alycia of Civic…

Tenure of Office: December 8, 1817 - March 4, 1825 (as Secretary of War); March 4, 1825 - December 28, 1832 (as Vice President); April 1, 1844 - March 10, 1845 (as Secretary of State)In the contested presidential election of 1824, Calhoun was without question elected as Vice President. In this …

Tenure of Office: December 8, 1817 - March 4, 1825 (as Secretary of War); March 4, 1825 - December 28, 1832 (as Vice President); April 1, 1844 - March 10, 1845 (as Secretary of State)Few figures loom as large in the annals of American history or have left such a challenging legacy with which to…

Tenure of Office: November 13, 1817 - March 4, 1829In this third and final part, we examine Wirt's life after leaving the Cabinet which included a presidential campaign, arguing two monumental cases before the Supreme Court, and his bid to become the first Florida snowbird in history. At the en…

Tenure of Office: November 13, 1817 - March 4, 1829After making a name for himself in some high profile cases as well as his literary endeavors, William Wirt became the 9th US Attorney General and would ultimately prove to be the longest-serving person in that post to date. What did he contribu…

Tenure of Office: November 13, 1817 - March 4, 1829After a childhood marred by tragedy and drunken nights of Shakespearean recitations in a state of undress as a young adult, William Wirt went on to become one of the most well respected lawyers of the Early Republic, serving as legal counsel in…

Tenure of Office: September 22, 1817 - March 3, 1825Though his tenure as President was not as long as he would have liked, John Quincy Adams went on to have an impactful career after leaving the Cabinet (and the Presidency) by serving in the US House of Representatives. Will this earn him a sea…

Tenure of Office: September 22, 1817 - March 3, 1825Not long after his arrival in Russia, tensions between the US and Britain resulted in war, and John Quincy Adams was called on to help negotiate the peace. Following eight years in Europe, Adams got his chance to shape American foreign policy …

Tenure of Office: September 22, 1817 - March 3, 1825Few figures from the post-Revolutionary generation of American politicians loom as large as John Quincy Adams, but how did he become Old Man Eloquent? Joined by my special guests, Åsa and Chris of A Flatpack History of Sweden and Kingdöm, we e…

Tenure of Office: August 1, 1815 - October 22, 1816 (as Secretary of War); October 22, 1816 - March 6, 1825 (as Secretary of the Treasury)With this episode, I and my special guest, Dr. Max of the Poor Historians Podcast, finish our examination of William H Crawford's life and lengthy career of …

Tenure of Office: August 1, 1815 - October 22, 1816 (as Secretary of War); October 22, 1816 - March 6, 1825 (as Secretary of the Treasury)Joined by my special guest, Dr. Max of the Poor Historians Podcast, we continue our journey through the life of William H Crawford, exploring his tenure as f…

Tenure of Office: August 1, 1815 - October 22, 1816 (as Secretary of War); October 22, 1816 - March 6, 1825 (as Secretary of the Treasury)William H Crawford may be one of the most famous figures in US presidential history that folks only know one thing about - his role in the Election of 1824. …

Tenure of Office: January 16, 1815 - September 30, 1818A merchant from Massachusetts, Benjamin Crowninshield assumed office as Secretary of the Navy in the latter days of the War of 1812. Join me and my special guest, April from the Door Key Podcast, as we explore the life and career of this me…

Tenure of Office: October 6, 1814 - October 21, 1816When Alexander J Dallas assumed office as Secretary of the Treasury, the federal government was nearly bankrupt. With my special guests, Cody and Stephen of the Imperfect Men podcast, we explore Dallas's tenure at Treasury and his efforts to i…

Tenure of Office: October 6, 1814 - October 21, 1816In this episode, I am joined by Cody and Stephen of the Imperfect Men podcast to discuss a lesser known yet quite influential Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander J Dallas of Pennsylvania. Join us as we discuss his early life and career which …

Tenure of Office: February 10, 1814 - November 12, 1817 (as Attorney General); March 07, 1825 - March 05, 1829 (as Secretary of the Treasury)In Part Two of this episode, Rush returned to the Cabinet as Secretary of the Treasury in the administration of John Quincy Adams, but he quickly found ou…

Tenure of Office: February 10, 1814 - November 12, 1817 (as Attorney General); March 07, 1825 - March 05, 1829 (as Secretary of the Treasury)As discussed in this two-part episode, while Richard Rush may not be the most well-known Cabinet member we've examined to date, his career spanning four d…

Tenure of Office: February 9, 1814 - October 5, 1814The successor of Albert Gallatin as Secretary of the Treasury was always going to have big shoes to fill, but coming in while the nation was at war and with a nearly empty treasury, George Campbell of Tennessee had quite a challenge ahead of h…

Tenure of Office: February 5, 1813 - September 27, 1814When Armstrong assumed office in 1813, he found a War Department facing serious challenges. Would Madison's fifth choice for the post be the person who could turn the American war effort around? Join me and my special guests, Eric and Matt …

Tenure of Office: February 5, 1813 - September 27, 1814Revolutionary War veteran, member of the Confederation Congress, US Senator, US Minister to France - certainly sounds like an illustrious career leading up to service in the President's Cabinet, but as I explore with my special guests, Eric…

Tenure of Office: January 19, 1813 - December 1, 1814Starting a new position is never easy, but being put in charge of the Navy in the middle of the war with a shoestring budget meant for a particularly challenging into Madison's Cabinet for the 4th Secretary of the Navy, William Jones. In this…

Tenure of Office: December 11, 1811 - February 9, 1814A lawyer, diplomat, and politician, William Pinkney of Maryland may not be the most famous member of James Madison's Cabinet. However, joined by my special guests, Meredith and Dustin of the Alexander Standard Podcast, we explore his life in…

Tenure of Office: April 6, 1811 - March 4, 1817 (as Secretary of State); September 27, 1814 - March 2, 1815 (as Secretary of War)James Monroe is one of the rare Cabinet members who served in two Cabinet positions simultaneously, and what is really remarkable about Monroe's doing so is that it w…