Dead Presidents

Sure, there were definitely criticisms of JFK’s Cabinet appointments — from both his Republican opposition and rivals within his own party.  The biggest lightning rod in JFK’s Cabinet was his brother, Bobby, who he named Attorney General.  Not only were there cries of nepotism, but RFK was just 35 years old, unpopular with many old-school politicians due to his abrasive work as a counsel for Congressional committees, and there was a lot of opposition to the nation’s top law enforcement official having absolutely no courtroom experience.

Relative inexperience in the federal government was a sticking point for many of JFK’s Cabinet appointees and White House staff.  JFK’s “Best and the Brightest” were largely wealthy, East Coast, Ivy Leaguers, and their perceived monopoly on the power of the Kennedy Administration certainly rubbed many people the wrong way, particularly Members of Congress, Richard Nixon, and even Kennedy’s Vice President, Lyndon Johnson.