Presidential Madness (Round 2): Favorite modern secretary of state

NCC Staff

Our two-week contest to pick the best presidential Cabinet ever continues with a heavyweight battle among six modern secretaries of state.

Join Presidential Madness!

At Constitution Daily, madness in March doesn’t just apply to the NCAA—it’s also an awesome excuse to give the bracket treatment to the executive branch of government. This year, it’s all about the presidential Cabinet.

Get into Presidential Madness by downloading a bracket [PDF] and predicting who you think will make it to the finals as best Cabinet member of all time. Check in and vote each day at Constitution Daily for the latest round of polling.

Round 2: Modern secretary of state

In the past 100 years, the head of the State Department has played a crucial role as the United States has become a global political and economic force.

It was hard to pick six candidates. Other secretaries from recent years included Frank Kellogg, Cordell Hull, Dean Acheson, John Foster Dulles, Dean Rusk, Cyrus Vance, Warren Christopher, and Colin Powell.

Here are the six nominees for best modern secretary of state, along with a quick bio of their time in office:

1. George C. Marshall. Served 1947 – 1949. As Harry Truman’s secretary of state, Marshall’s Plan rebuilt Europe after World War II, and he was later awarded a Nobel Prize for his efforts.

2. Henry Kissinger. Served 1973 – 1977. The high-profile secretary for Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, Kissinger was a career diplomat who pioneered the policy of detente with the Soviet Union.

3. George P. Shultz. Served 1982 – 1989. Only one of two people to serve in four different cabinet positions, Shultz led the State Department for most of the Reagan era.

4. Madeleine Albright. Served 1997 – 2001. The first woman to serve as secretary, Albright played an important role in the Clinton administration.

5. Condoleezza Rice. Served 2005 – 2009. A Shultz protégé, Rice first served as President George W. Bush’s national security adviser before becoming secretary of state.

6. Hillary Clinton. Served 2009 – 2013. The former first lady served in the Senate and then became the most-traveled secretary ever as part of the Obama administration.

Pick your favorite in our poll below, and check back each day to see a new March Cabinet Madness vote!

Note: If you can’t see the poll below, use this link: http://poll.fm/45otg