A number of individuals have achieved the rare distinction of serving in all three branches of the state government of one of the U.S. states:
- in the executive branch (in an elected position, such as governor or state attorney general), or in a high-level state appointed position (such as a member of the governor's cabinet, head of a state agency, or member of a state executive board or commission);[a]
- in the state legislature; and
- as a state judge.
This list excludes service in local government (such as county or city government), as well as military and militia posts.
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Transcription
Have you ever wondered who has the authority to make laws or punish people who break them? When we think of power in the United States, we usually think of the President, but he does not act alone. In fact, he is only one piece of the power puzzle and for very good reason. When the American Revolution ended in 1783, the United States government was in a state of change. The founding fathers knew that they did not want to establish another country that was ruled by a king, so the discussions were centered on having a strong and fair national government that protected individual freedoms and did not abuse its power. When the new constitution was adopted in 1787, the structure of the infant government of the United States called for three separate branches, each with their own powers, and a system of checks and balances. This would ensure that no one branch would ever become too powerful because the other branches would always be able to check the power of the other two. These branches work together to run the country and set guidelines for us all to live by. The legislative branch is described in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution. Many people feel that the founding fathers put this branch in the document first because they thought it was the most important. The legislative branch is comprised of 100 U.S. Senators and 435 members in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is better known as the U.S. Congress. Making laws is the primary function of the legislative branch, but it is also responsible for approving federal judges and justices, passing the national budget, and declaring war. Each state gets two Senators and some number of Representatives, depending on how many people live in that state. The executive branch is described in Article 2 of the Constitution. The leaders of this branch of government are the President and Vice President, who are responsible for enforcing the laws that Congress sets forth. The President works closely with a group of advisors, known as the Cabinet. These appointed helpers assist the President in making important decisions within their area of expertise, such as defense, the treasury, and homeland security. The executive branch also appoints government officials, commands the armed forces, and meets with leaders of other nations. All that combined is a lot of work for a lot of people. In fact, the executive branch employs over 4 million people to get everything done. The third brand of the U.S. government is the judicial branch and is detailed in Article 3. This branch is comprised of all the courts in the land, from the federal district courts to the U.S. Supreme Court. These courts interpret our nation's laws and punish those who break them. The highest court, the Supreme Court, settles disputes among states, hears appeals from state and federal courts, and determines if federal laws are constitutional. There are nine justices on the Supreme Court, and, unlike any other job in our government, Supreme Court justices are appointed for life, or for as long as they want to stay. Our democracy depends on an informed citizenry, so it is our duty to know how it works and what authority each branch of government has over its citizens. Besides voting, chances are that some time in your life you'll be called upon to participate in your government, whether it is to serve on a jury, testify in court, or petition your Congress person to pass or defeat an idea for a law. By knowning the branches, who runs them, and how they work together, you can be involved, informed, and intelligent.
List
See also
- List of people who have served in all three branches of the United States federal government
- List of people who have held multiple United States Cabinet-level positions
- List of United States Supreme Court Justices who also served in Congress
Notes
- ^ For instance, this list would excludes those whose only state-level executive service was as a deputy state attorney general or assistant state attorney general.
- ^ Confederate legislature.
References
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- ^ North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe, National Governors Association (accessed April 1, 2016).
- ^ The History of Ohio Law (vol. 1: Ohio University Press, 2004; eds. Michael Les Benedict & John F. Winkl), p. 193, note 115.
- ^ BASSETT, Richard, (1745–1815), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (accessed September 8, 2017).
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- ^ a b Pidgeon, Norman L. (1967). "1967-1968 Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts". Boston, MA: Commonwealth of Massachusetts. p. 25.
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- ^ "FRANK LICHT, AN EX-GOVERNOR; LED RHODE ISLAND IN LATE 60'S". New York Times. Associated Press. May 31, 1987.
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- ^ "Governor William P. Lord's Administration". Oregon State Archives. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ Governor Charles Lynch, National Governors Association (accessed September 13, 2017).
- ^ Governor Thomas Jewett Mabry, National Governors Association (accessed September 15, 2017).
- ^ Isaac Marston, Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society (accessed September 5, 2017).
- ^ Governor William Thomas Minor, National Governors Association (accessed September 5, 2017).
- ^ John V. Orth, "Moore, Alfred" in The Yale Biographical Dictionary of American Law (ed. Roger K. Newman: Yale University Press, 2009), p. 387.
- ^ Alabama Governors: Andrew Barry Moore, Alabama Department of Archives and History (accessed August 29, 2017).
- ^ Jack D. Fleer, Governors Speak (University Press of America, 2007), p. 107.
- ^ Alabama Governors: Samuel B. Moore, Alabama Department of Archives and History (accessed August 29, 2017).
- ^ Emery, Samuel (1893). History of Taunton, Massachusetts. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason and Co. OCLC 2689718.
- ^ Charles Mullan, Waterloo Times-Tribune, Waterloo, Iowa: Sunday, March 1, 1914, p. 32 (accessed September 2, 2017).
- ^ Paul S. Gillies, The Remains of Nathaniel Niles, Vermont Bar Journal (Dec. 2011).
- ^ Jerome Mushkat, "O'Neill, C. William" in American Legislative Leaders in the Midwest, 1911–1994 (Greenwood Press, 1997: eds. Nancy Weatherly Sharp & James Roger Sharp), p. 191.
- ^ Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1989-90.
- ^ Elisabeth J. Beardsley (December 19, 2002). "Swift crony made judge amid furor on Gov's Council". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
- ^ "Housing Court Chief Justice Steven Pierce to Retire". www.mass.gov. Archived from the original on 2015-07-13.
- ^ POTTER, Elisha Reynolds, (1811–1882), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (accessed September 4, 2017).
- ^ William Potter, Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society (accessed September 5, 2017).
- ^ Representative John Mercer Rankin, Iowa Legislature (accessed September 2, 2017).
- ^ North Carolina Governor Daniel Lindsay Russell, National Governors Association (accessed April 1, 2016).
- ^ The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Vol. 9 (eds. Rossiter Johnson & John Howard Brown: The Biographical Society, 1904.
- ^ Biography of Attorney General Bill Schuette, Office of the Attorney General of Michigan (accessed August 27, 2017).
- ^ Governor William Lewis Sharkey, National Governors Association (accessed September 13, 2017).
- ^ James Shields: Previous Illinois Supreme Court Justice Archived 2017-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, Illinois Courts (accessed April 1, 2016).
- ^ Governor Samuel Emerson Smith, National Governors Association (accessed September 5, 2017).
- ^ Michael J. Birkner, Samuel L. Southard: Jeffersonian Whig (Associated University Presses, 1984), p. 9.
- ^ Alabama Governors: Chauncey Sparks, Alabama Department of Archives and History (accessed August 29, 2017).
- ^ North Carolina Governor David Stone, National Governors Association (accessed April 1, 2016).
- ^ North Carolina Governor David Lowry Swain, National Governors Association (accessed April 1, 2016).
- ^ Michigan Governor John Burley Swainson, National Governors Association (accessed April 2, 2016).
- ^ Commending the Service of Judge Lacy Thornburg to Western North Carolina Archived 2016-04-13 at the Wayback Machine (statement of Rep. Heath Shuler) (September 21, 2011), Congressional Record Extensions of Remarks, Vol. 157, No. 141, pp. E1674-E1675.
- ^ UPSON, Charles, (1821–1885), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (accessed September 5, 2017).
- ^ Governor Samuel Wells, Representative Men of Maine: A Collection of Biographical Sketches of all the Governors since the formation of the State. (The Lakeside Press, 1893) (accessed September 5, 2017).
- ^ "Otis Whitney, 73, Was Mass. Judge, Public Safety Chief and YD General". The Boston Globe. July 8, 1982.
- ^ WILBOUR, Isaac, (1763–1837), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (accessed September 8, 2017).
- ^ Journal of the Senate of the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, Vol. 56, pt. 1955, page 1266 (1955).