# When was the last time a President fired a member of his cabinet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249 "2010-06-23T16:36:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/1 "2010-06-23T16:36:34Z")
When I say fired, I mean just that. They didn’t get the opportunity to do a face saving “resignation.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/2 "2010-06-23T17:10:11Z")
Hard to say - some of those face-saving resignations are so transparent that they aren’t believed by anyone. Walter Hickel actually was fired as Interior Secretary by Nixon - but he brought this on by publicly disagreeing with Nixon and then refusing to resign. That might have been the last time. ---
**Author:** ![SmithCommaJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@SmithCommaJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmithCommaJohn)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/3 "2010-06-23T17:12:57Z")
In 2003, Paul O’Neil, George W. Bush’s first Secretary of The Treasury, was basically fired. I think it’s exceedingly rare for a president to go up to a cabinet member and say “I’m removing you,” even though that’s his right. However, Bush did demand his resignation, which he submitted, and the administration made no secret of this fact. In my book, that counts as getting fired. off the top of my head, I don’t know when (if ever), a president demanded a cabinet member’s resignation, with the cabinet member refusing, thereby forcing the president to outright fire them. Or maybe there was an instance of the president not even bothering to demand a resignation first. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/4 "2010-06-23T17:14:27Z")
Just to put a stake in the ground (haven’t done any searches yet) but Walter Hickle, Secretary of the Interior, published an op-ed critical of the Vietname War in 1970 or '71 and then refused to resign when pressured. Nixon then fired him. So more recently than that. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/5 "2010-06-23T17:23:18Z")
> [@SmithCommaJohn](#): > > Or maybe there was an instance of the president not even bothering to demand a resignation first. President Thomas Whitmore: The only mistake I ever made was to appoint a sniveling little weasel like you Secretary of Defense. However, that is a mistake, I am happy to say, that I don’t have to live with. Mr. Nimzicki… you’re fired. So July 4, 1996. ---
**Author:** ![SmithCommaJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@SmithCommaJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmithCommaJohn)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/6 "2010-06-23T17:28:12Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > President Thomas Whitmore: The only mistake I ever made was to appoint a sniveling little weasel like you Secretary of Defense. However, that is a mistake, I am happy to say, that I don’t have to live with. Mr. Nimzicki… you’re fired. > > So July 4, 1996. So that’s the last time this happened in the U.S. Anyone know the last time this happened…on Urf? ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/7 "2010-06-23T18:22:47Z")
The infamous Saturday Night Massacre in October 1973. Nixon quite publicly fired Attorney General William Simon and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckleshaus, in turn, for their refusal to fire Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Cox was finally fired by our old friend, then Solicitor General Robert Bork. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/8 "2010-06-23T18:30:08Z")
> [@5\_time\_champ](#): > > The infamous Saturday Night Massacre in October 1973. Nixon quite publicly fired Attorney General William Simon and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckleshaus, in turn, for their refusal to fire Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Cox was finally fired by our old friend, then Solicitor General Robert Bork. You have this very wrong - for one thing, the AG was Elliot Richardson. And the fact is that Richardson and Ruckleshaus both resigned in protest - they were not fired. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/9 "2010-06-23T18:47:03Z")
> [@5\_time\_champ](#): > > The infamous Saturday Night Massacre in October 1973. Nixon quite publicly fired Attorney General William Simon and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckleshaus, in turn, for their refusal to fire Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Cox was finally fired by our old friend, then Solicitor General Robert Bork. Yep. That’s the one that comes to mind for me too. Usually at that level, if someone sees a problem coming, they resign or offer to resign. These guys made it a principal that the boss actually come out and fire them, rather than make it easy for him. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/10 "2010-06-23T18:58:52Z")
[Here](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,948464,00.html) is a Time Magazine article on Jimmy Carter’s major Cabinet purge. ---
**Author:** ![SmithCommaJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@SmithCommaJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmithCommaJohn)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/11 "2010-06-23T19:12:57Z")
Somewhat related: my understanding is that, when a president is re-elected, it’s customary for everyone in the cabinet to quietly submit their resignation. The president then chooses which ones to accept, allowing him to clean house while saving face. I remember hearing that when Janet Reno, when Clinton was re-elected, refused to submit her resignation, which Clinton was expecting, and was prepared to accept. She basically said “if you want to get rid of me, you’ve got to fire me,” and Clinton decided that it wasn’t worth it to fire her. Does anyone have any details on this affair (such minor details as whether or not it happened)? ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/12 "2010-06-23T19:19:37Z")
The General in Bosnia? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/13 "2010-06-23T19:58:07Z")
> [@ChrisBooth12](#): > > The General in Bosnia? Generals aren’t in the Cabinet. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/14 "2010-06-23T20:16:35Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > Generals aren’t in the Cabinet. deleted ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/15 "2010-06-24T01:16:38Z")
The line gets really hazy. In the above-mentioned Saturday Night Massacre, Richardson resigned rather than fire Cox. There are accounts that say Nixon fired Ruckleshaus and other accounts that say Ruckleshaus resigned – a classic case of “you can’t fire me, I quit.” Colin Powell was apparently asked to resign. In his resignation he offered to stay on as long as it took George W. Bush to find a successor. It took Bush one day to find Condoleeza Rice. Donald Rumsfeld “offered” to resign the day before the 2006 midterm elections. After the results were in, Bush accepted the resignation. In the Clinton administration, Henry Cisernos resigned as HUD Secretary while he was under investigation for payoffs to his mistress. Lauro Cavazos was forced to resign from George H. W. Bush’s cabinet while he was under investigation. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/16 "2010-06-24T02:56:29Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > You have this very wrong - for one thing, the AG was Elliot Richardson. And the fact is that Richardson and Ruckleshaus both resigned in protest - they were not fired. :smack:Well, that’s what I get for going by my memory of events at that point in time, should always confirm with Wikipedia especially in GQ. My recollection from the public mood at the time was that both Richardson :o and Ruckelhaus were both fired by Nixon, hence the term “Saturday Night Massacre.” Per the OP, they certainly weren’t allowed the "opportunity to do a face saving ‘resignation.’ " They were just quicker letter writers than Nixon. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/17 "2010-06-24T19:54:42Z")
Well, I know that Andrew Johnson was impeached for actually firing a cabinet member, although I don’t recall who it was. Congress had passed and then overridden a veto on a law that forbade the firing of a cabinet minister without the approval of the senate. After the impeachment failed to convict that law was a dead letter (but it still could be on the books). ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/18 "2010-06-24T21:03:19Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Well, I know that Andrew Johnson was impeached for actually firing a cabinet member, although I don’t recall who it was. Congress had passed and then overridden a veto on a law that forbade the firing of a cabinet minister without the approval of the senate. After the impeachment failed to convict that law was a dead letter (but it still could be on the books). Stanton, Lincoln’s Secretary of War who continued to hold the Cabinet seat under Johnson, and apparently thought that he, not Johnson, should be in charge. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/19 "2017-01-31T03:03:45Z")
Current president has just fired his attorney general 10 days into his administration. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249/20 "2017-01-31T03:22:37Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Current president has just fired his attorney general 10 days into his administration. True…but hadn’t Trump basically just not gotten around to replacing her yet? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-president-fired-a-member-of-his-cabinet/544249.md?page=2)