# Presidents and their opposition **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 14, 2000, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-their-opposition/45619 "2000-12-14T21:39:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-their-opposition/45619/1 "2000-12-14T21:39:53Z")
Not that I expect it to happen with Dubya, but did any newly elected president ever choose his opposition in the election as a member of his cabinet, or an advisor, or anything like that? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-their-opposition/45619/2 "2000-12-14T21:53:03Z")
When Rutherford Hayes became president in 1877, the Republicans agreed to give the Democrats a Cabinet post as a consolation prize. David(?) Key was named Postmaster General to assuage the Democrats. The more important concession was the end of Reconstruction and the restoration of Democrat governments in the Southern States. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-their-opposition/45619/3 "2000-12-15T05:46:06Z")
Well, Franklin Roosevelt liked his 1940 Republican opponent Wendell Willkie. He kept Willkie around as a consultant, and appointed him as a special ambassador to China and the Soviet Union during the Second WOrld War. After the Kennedy-Johnson ticket defeated the Republican ticket of Richard Nixon and Henry Cabot Lodge, I believe John Kennedy appointed Lodge as ambassador to Viet Nam (some reward, huh?). ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-their-opposition/45619/4 "2000-12-15T14:37:53Z")
As reported on the front page of the _Washington Post_ this morning, Bush has met with Democratic Senator John Breaux as a potential candidate for Secretary of Energy. ---
**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-their-opposition/45619/5 "2000-12-15T15:37:18Z")
Not exactly his opposition in this case - I meant has the winner of an election ever chosen the loser (pres or vp candidate) for a position? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-their-opposition/45619/6 "2000-12-15T17:15:28Z")
Not unless you want to count 1796, when the case was still that the second place candidate was named vice president. Four years of John Adams as President and Thomas Jefferson as Vice President was not exactly conducive to good government. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-their-opposition/45619/7 "2000-12-15T17:20:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pldennison \* > \*\*As reported on the front page of the _Washington Post_ this morning, Bush has met with Democratic Senator John Breaux as a potential candidate for Secretary of Energy. \*\* Gee, that sure is nice of old Dubya, considering Democrats would be crazy to give up the 50-50 split in the Senate… I heard on CNN this morning that Breaux “suggested” a Democratic ex-Senator from his state of Louisiana. Not that it really matters that he’s a Democrat, any Senator from Louisiana is presumably safely in the pocket of the oil companies… ---
**Author:** ![labdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5fc32e/32.png) [@labdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labdude)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-their-opposition/45619/8 "2000-12-15T23:20:54Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by fiddlesticks \* \*\* > [@](#): > > Gee, that sure is nice of old Dubya, considering Democrats would be crazy to give up the 50-50 split in the Senate… > \*\* Breaux has said he’s not interested…but ya never know… I’m from Louisiana and I would be most pissed if Breaux took the job. He’s much more powerful as a conservative southern swing voter. The sweet smell of federal pork will be commin’ my way. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2000, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-their-opposition/45619/9 "2000-12-16T06:37:18Z")
Not from the opposing parties, but most of Lincoln’s cabinet was composed of men who had challenged him for the Republican presidential candidacy in 1860.