âThe discourse about social level that is invoked here has little to do with the old diagram of the three orders of society: aristocracy, clergy, and third estate.â âBesides, petty judges and advocates were the only members of the third estate with wide experience of public life, and the confidence to speak out which it bred.â
The heads of the federal executive departments, known as secretaries of their respective department, form the traditional Cabinet of the United States, an executive organ that serves at the disposal of the president and normally act as an advisory body to the presidency.
Created in 1789 by the Congress as the successor to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of State is the senior executive Department of the U.S. Government. The Secretary of Stateâs duties relating to foreign affairs have not changed significantly since then, but they have become far more complex as international commitments multiplied.