tary of State; James Guthrie, of Kentucky, Secretary of the Treasury; Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, Secretary of War; James C. Dobbins, of North Carolina, Secretary of the Navy; Robert McMillen, of Michigan, Secretary of the Interior; James Campbell, of Pennsylvania, Postmaster-General; Caleb Gushing, of Massachusetts, Attorney-General. I believe this cabinet combined as much ability as any cabinet that has existed in our country since the formation of the government.
Very soon after President Pierce was inaugurated he nominated Hon. O. C. Pratt for Chief Justice of Oregon, but on account of the opposition of Senator Stephen A. Douglas, his nomination was rejected by the senate. Prior to this, Judge Pratt had been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Oregon, and had become involved in a bitter controversy with Chief Justice Nelson and Judge William Strong on the question as to whether Oregon City or Salem was the seat of government for the territory. This, however, had nothing to do with his rejection by the senate. That was due, as it was understood, to some personal difficulty between the Senator and Judge Pratt. President Pierce early in his administration appointed Gen. Joseph Lane, Governor, and George L. Curry Secretary of the Territory, and they entered upon their official duties as such in May, 1853. Immediately after the senate refused to confirm the nomination of Judge Pratt, without my knowledge or consent, I was nominated for Chief Justice of Oregon upon the recommendation of Senator Douglas, of Illinois, and Senators Dodge and Jones, of Iowa, all of whom were my personal and political friends. I was then a resident of Iowa, and had canvassed the state as a Presidential Elector-at-Large for Franklin Pierce. I arrived in Oregon with my commission as Chief Justice in June, 1853. Judges Matthew P. Deady and Cyrus Olney, both
