Two other Cabinet officers have listed Wyoming as their residences, but like Mineta, they were residents of another state when appointed. Charles Duncan, Secretary of Transportation in the Carter administration, owned the TE Ranch near Cody and listed Wyoming as a residence. James Baker, Secretary of State in the Bush administration, bought the Tibbals Ranch on Silver Creek near Boulder, Sub­lette County, soon after the 1988 general election. He changed his voting resi­dence to Wyoming in early 1990. He returned his voting registration to Texas in 1994. Both Duncan and Baker were appointed while residents of Texas.

Stan Hathaway

Born and educated in Nebraska, Hathaway served two terms as Wyoming governor prior to his appointment to the Cabinet. Hath­away, the first Cabinet officer from Wyoming, was appointed by President Gerald Ford. His appointment was confirmed by the U. S. Senate by a vote of 60-36 after contentious hearings. Hathaway held the job six weeks. Due to ill health and frustration with bureaucracy, he resigned and returned to Wyoming where he reentered law practice.

James Watt

Born in Lusk in 1938, and educated in Wheatland and at the University of Wyoming, Watt was appointed to the Cabinet from Colorado where he worked as a lawyer. Following his service in the Cabinet, he returned to Wyoming. Until the summer of 1996, he lived and worked in Jackson.

Paul Carlin

U.S. Postmaster General, 1985-1986Born in California, Carlin was educated at the University of Wyoming. In 1953, he was NCAA All-American in track. Technically, after 1971, the postmaster general was no longer considered a presidential cabinet officer. The President appoints nine members of the Board of Governors of the Postal Service who chose the postmaster general. Nonetheless, because of the historical role as a Cabinet office, the postmaster general is included here.

Richard Cheney

Cheney was nominated to the post by President George Bush after the Senate refused to confirm Bush’s choice of former Senator John Tower. Cheney had been President Gerald Ford’s chief of staff from 1975-1976 and congressman from Wyoming from 1978 until he resigned to become Secretary of Defense. His appointment was confirmed by the Senate March 17, 1989. When the Clinton administration came into office, Cheney returned to the private sector and, in 1996, he became chief executive officer of Halliburton Co., Dallas, Texas. On July 25, 2000, Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush designated him as the Republican vice presidential candidate. He was the only Wyomingite ever elected Vice President of the United States. He and Bush were re-elected in 2004.

Norman Mineta

Mineta (b. San Jose, California, 1931) was appointed from California. When he was a young man, he lived in Wyoming--but not voluntarily. He and his parents were interned at Heart Mountain Relocation Camp in Park County. He attended school at Heart Mountain, but returned to California when the war ended. He served for 21 years in Congress, representing the 13th district of California.