Since Minnesota achieved statehood in 1858, only a few Minnesotans have had the honor to serve in a presidential cabinet and stand in the line of presidential succession.
If the incoming Republican majority class of U.S. Senate members vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense in January, the Forest Lake native would become one of the highest-ranking White House cabinet members from the North Star State ever.
Vice President-elect and U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, is expected to introduce Hegseth to his Senate colleagues this week.
The prospect of his confirmation has many in Hegseth’s home state celebrating one of their own.
“As a student at Forest Lake Area High School, Hegseth was an athlete and leader,” the Forest Lake Area School District announced to its students, staff and families last week, one day after president-elect Trump announced he’s tapped Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. “(Pete) played football and basketball, making a state tournament appearance and receiving all-state honors in basketball.”
“Mr. Hegseth will need to be confirmed by the Senate before he formally takes on the role within Trump’s administration. It’s a remarkable distinction for our district to have an alum nominated to serve in such an important role for our nation. We wish him the best!,” wrote the district.
One of the top-ranking members in Congress – who also hails from Minnesota – is praising Hegseth’s nomination as a win for Minnesotans.
“Minnesota will be lucky to have one of our own serving in the highest echelons of government and helping implement President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda,” Majority Whip Tom Emmer, the third-ranking Republican in the U.S. House, told Alpha News on Monday.
“Unlike our failed governor and vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, Pete is a combat veteran who has written the book on the need to rebuild a lethal military as opposed to the woke nonsense the Harris-Biden administration has been pushing over the last four years,” said Emmer, who will begin his sixth term representing Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District in the U.S. House in January.
Trump announced Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Department of Defense on Nov. 12. If he becomes the secretary of defense, Hegseth would oversee a department with an annual budget of more than $800 billion. The secretary of defense serves under the president, but is responsible for overseeing the many operational and administrative functions of the United States’ various military branches.
“Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country. Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down,” Trump said in a Nov. 12 statement.
While confirmation from the United States Senate is the normal way cabinet posts are filled, presidents can choose to fill cabinet posts via recess appointment.
When the Senate is in recess, the Constitution allows the president to temporarily appoint people to cabinet posts without Senate confirmation. This recess appointment process could be used by Trump to temporarily make Hegseth the secretary of defense without the need for a Senate vote.
Backing of key U.S. senators, U.S. House members
U.S. Senators who have already publicly backed Hegseth include Sen. Mike Lee, of Utah, and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who said Hegseth is “100% committed to building a lethal military that’s feared by our enemies & respected by our allies, while doing more to take care of those who serve our nation and their families.”
Others who lined up to back Hegseth’s nomination include the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and another Trump cabinet designee, Congressman Mike Waltz, R-Florida.
“Pete Hegseth is a tireless advocate for America’s soldiers and veterans, and he brings a fresh perspective to a Pentagon that has lost sight of its mission under Joe Biden,” said Johnson. “Pete is dedicated to ensuring that our military is focused on lethality and readiness, not woke ideology. He served our country faithfully in Guantanamo, Afghanistan, and Iraq and is a believer in peace through strength and the America First agenda. I’m confident he will execute his duties as Secretary well.”
Additionally, the world’s wealthiest man and Trump supporter Elon Musk, congratulated Hegseth on the Minnesotan’s secretary of defense nomination.
List of highest-ranking members of presidential cabinet from Minnesota
If Hegseth becomes secretary of defense, he would rank sixth in the presidential line of succession.
Over the years, several Minnesotans have been in the line of succession to the presidency. Among them, former Vice President Walter Mondale was first in line to the presidency when he served President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981.
Similarly, Hubert Humphrey was also first in line to the presidency when he served as vice president to President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1965 to 1969.
Other high-ranking presidential cabinet members from Minnesota include:
- Secretary Denis McDonough, a Stillwater native, who currently serves as the secretary of veteran affairs under President Joe Biden and is 17th in the presidential line of succession. McDonough previously served as chief of staff to President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2017.
- Former Minnesota Gov. Orville Freeman became secretary of agriculture under President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and was 9th in the line of presidential succession. He served in the role for eight years.
- Former U.S. Sen. Frank B. Kellogg served as secretary of state for President Calvin Coolidge from 1925 to 1929. At that time, secretary of state was 2nd in the line of presidential succession.
- Former U.S. Sen. and Gov. Alexander Ramsey was appointed secretary of war under President Rutherford B. Hayes from 1879 to 1881.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
