St. Wapniacl

Last updated

St. Wapniacl is a mnemonic which was used for decades to help remember the offices of the U.S. Cabinet, in their order of creation and importance. The cabinet offices referred to by the mnemonic were State, Treasury, War, Attorney General, Postmaster General, Navy, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, and Labor. [1]

Contents

Obsolescence

This mnemonic has been obsolete since 1947 when the Departments of War and the Navy were combined into the Department of Defense by the National Security Act of 1947.

The usefulness of this mnemonic has been further eroded by the following changes to the U.S. cabinet since 1947:

Although obsolete for over 70 years, St. Wapniacl can still be found to be referenced on occasion, such as in John Updike's The Centaur. [2]

Suggestions for replacement

A 1988 editorial in The New York Times first suggested a new mnemonic which has later been revised to become: "See The Dog Jump In A Circle; Leave Her House To Entertain Educated Veterans' Homes," [3] corresponding to the names of the departments of State, Treasury, Defense, Justice (headed by the Attorney General), Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security.

A similar mnemonic exists for the Cabinet level positions: Emit U.E.S.S.C. It stands for Environment, Management and Budget, Intelligence, Trade, United Nations, Economic Advisors, Small Business, Science and Technology, and Chief of Staff, each of which roughly describes the jurisdiction of their positions.

See also

Related Research Articles

Cabinet of the United States Advisory body to the president of the United States

The Cabinet of the United States is a body consisting of the vice president of the United States and the heads of the executive branch's departments in the federal government of the United States. It is the principal official advisory body to the president of the United States. The president chairs the meetings but is not formally a member of the Cabinet. The heads of departments, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, are members of the Cabinet, and acting department heads also participate in Cabinet meetings whether or not they have been officially nominated for Senate confirmation. The president may designate heads of other agencies and non-Senate-confirmed members of the Executive Office of the President as members of the Cabinet.

United States Department of Health and Human Services Department of the US federal government

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America". Before the separate federal Department of Education was created in 1979, it was called the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW).

United States Secretary of Homeland Security Head of the United States Department of Homeland Security

The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the United States. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The United States federal executive departments are the principal units of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States. They are analogous to ministries common in parliamentary or semi-presidential systems but they are led by a head of government who is also the head of state. The executive departments are the administrative arms of the president of the United States. There are currently 15 executive departments.

A special agent is an investigator or detective for a governmental or independent agency, who primarily serves in criminal investigatory positions. Additionally, many federal and state special agents operate in "criminal intelligence" based roles as well. Within the U.S. federal law enforcement system, dozens of federal agencies employ federal law enforcement officers, each with different criteria pertaining to the use of the titles Special Agent and Agent.

Within a week after the 2004 United States presidential election, many members of President George W. Bush's cabinet announced their resignation in what major media outlets and Bush himself called the White House shakeup. Several top advisers were also involved, although they are not technically cabinet members.

The Federal Security Agency (FSA) was an independent agency of the United States government established in 1939 pursuant to the Reorganization Act of 1939. For a time, the agency oversaw food and drug safety as well as education funding and the administration of public health programs and the Social Security old-age pension plan.

Executive Schedule is the system of salaries given to the highest-ranked appointed officials in the executive branch of the U.S. government. The president of the United States appoints individuals to these positions, most with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. They include members of the president's Cabinet, several top-ranking officials of each executive department, the directors of some of the more prominent departmental and independent agencies, and several members of the Executive Office of the President.

Cabinet of Barack Obama Overview of the confirmations of Barack Obamas Cabinet

Barack Obama assumed office as President of the United States on January 20, 2009, and his term ended on January 20, 2017. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.

The Virginia Governor's Cabinet is a body of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the government of Virginia. The Cabinet is responsible for advising the Governor of Virginia. Cabinet officers are nominated by the Governor and then presented to the Virginia General Assembly for confirmation. Once confirmed, all members of the Cabinet receive the title "Secretary" and serve at the pleasure of the Governor.

Cabinet of Donald Trump Members of President Donald Trumps Cabinet

Donald Trump assumed office as President of the United States on January 20, 2017, and his term ended on January 20, 2021. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.

United States Committee on the Marine Transportation System

The United States Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS) is an inter-agency committee authorized by the United States Coast Guard and the Maritime Transportation Act of 2012 to coordinate policies affecting the U.S. Marine Transportation System (MTS).

Cabinet of Joe Biden Members of President Joe Bidens Cabinet

Joe Biden assumed office as President of the United States on January 20, 2021. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.

Presidential transition of John F. Kennedy Transfer of U.S. presidential power

The presidential transition of John F. Kennedy began when John F. Kennedy won the 1960 United States presidential election, becoming the president-elect of the United States, and ended when Kennedy was inaugurated at noon EST on January 20, 1961.

References

  1. "Old St. Wapniacl". The New York Times . December 28, 1992.
  2. Richardson, John. "THE LIFE OF ST. WAPNIACL". UCLA. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  3. Rosenthal, Jack (Aug 29, 2004). "When four letters are more than enough, why not try the X-word (editorial)". Taipei Times. NY Times News Service. Retrieved 11 November 2015.

Literature