Creation

• Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution in effect created the president's Cabinet, although the word "Cabinet" is not directly mentioned. The Constitution places no limits on the number of departments or Cabinet members.
  
  

Constitution

• Article II, Section 2, states that the president "may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices."
  
  

History

• The first presidential Cabinet, appointed by George Washington, consisted of four members: the attorney general and the secretaries of Foreign Affairs, Treasury and War.
  
  

Department Removal

• George Washington added the head of the Post Office Department to his Cabinet in 1792. This department was removed from the Cabinet in 1972.
  
  

Departmental Name Changes

• The Department of War is now known as the Department of Defense while the Office of the Attorney General is called the Justice Department. The State Department was originally known as the Department of Foreign Affairs.
  
  

Current Departments

• As of 2009, 15 departments are represented in the presidential Cabinet. George W. Bush created the newest department, Homeland Security, in 2002.