# Anybody want to play 20 questions? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 8, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757 "2009-05-08T16:02:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 25
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/481 "2009-05-19T15:32:03Z")
Was he a United States Senator? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/482 "2009-05-19T15:47:54Z")
Was he Secretary of State or Secretary of War? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/483 "2009-05-19T15:58:26Z")
1. No, he was not a businessman/captain of industry. 2. Yes, he was a United States Senator. 3. That’s really two questions, but no, he was not either Secretary of State or Secretary of War. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/484 "2009-05-19T16:08:21Z")
for 18, I was looking tyring to narrow it down to the most “prominent” (IMO) cabinet postions. Acutally i was thinking was going to be Robert Todd Lincoln, but that is obviously wrong now. I’ll take a guess John Sherman which upon edit is also wrong because he was Secretary of State. so it is not a guess. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/485 "2009-05-19T16:27:15Z")
Off the record, **El** : would you consider a career in the judiciary to be separate from his political career? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/486 "2009-05-19T18:12:36Z")
No, it’s not John Sherman. Although I really should count that as a guess. 😉 > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Off the record, **El** : would you consider a career in the judiciary to be separate from his political career? His career, for the guy I’m thinking of? Or such a career generally? Perhaps you should rephrase. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/487 "2009-05-19T18:36:12Z")
In the U.S. Senate, did he represent a state generally considered to be Midwestern? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/488 "2009-05-19T20:15:04Z")
1. Yes ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/489 "2009-05-19T20:30:49Z")
Such a career generally. Sorry- no elegant way to phrase that. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/490 "2009-05-19T20:40:07Z")
Off the record, El: would you consider a career in the judiciary to be separate from _ **his** _ political career? Perhaps this is more elegant: Off the record, El: would you consider a career in the judiciary to be separate from _ **a** _ political career? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/491 "2009-05-20T13:51:32Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > …Perhaps this is more elegant: > > Off the record, El: would you consider a career in the judiciary to be separate from _ **a** _ political career? Not necessarily. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/492 "2009-05-20T14:04:23Z")
1. Was he a Supreme Court Justice? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/493 "2009-05-20T14:42:55Z")
1. Yes! Since no one has guessed his name, I think I win. You may keep guessing to determine the individual, if you like. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/494 "2009-05-20T14:46:29Z")
Aha! Salmon P. Chase, our most delicious Senator, SC Justice and Secretary of the Treasury. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/495 "2009-05-20T15:13:32Z")
1. Yes. And the first to call himself “Chief Justice of the United States,” and not just “of the Supreme Court.” All of his successors have done likewise, and now it’s codified at 28 U.S.C. 1. **RNATB** , would you like to start our next round? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/496 "2009-05-20T15:51:36Z")
Sure. I’m thinking of a person. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/497 "2009-05-20T16:03:06Z")
1. Male? 2. Now alive? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/498 "2009-05-20T16:17:51Z")
Yes, no. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/499 "2009-05-20T17:40:59Z")
1. American? 2. Fictional? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757/500 "2009-05-20T17:44:38Z")
1. Yes 2. Yes! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-want-to-play-20-questions/495757.md?page=26)