(Furniture? No. This is politics. Check out the previous entry for context.)

The United States Secretary of Agriculture heads up the U. S. Department of Agriculture. This Secretary is charged with overseeing land and food as well as agriculture and rural development. This includes farm loans, conservation programs, crop insurance and so forth. The Secretary of Agriculture is ninth in the line of succession. Since 1889, we’ve had 28 Secretaries of Agriculture.

Current Secretary: Mike Johanns, former governor of Nebraska. The secretary prior to Johanns was Ann Veneman, the first woman to ever hold the office. Both were appointed by President George W. Bush.

Number One Draft Pick: Tommy Irvin. I know I’m going to be accused of homestate favoritism here, but before you cast aspersions, do yourself a favor and check out Irvin’s record. The man has been serving as Georgia’s Agriculture Commissioner since 1969. Surely, that would’ve been enough for one person to do, but Irvin has somehow found the time and energy to chair the Georgia Development Authority and the Georgia Seed Development Commission. Additionally, he has served (or is serving) on twelve other commissions and three councils. On top of that, he … oh, to heck with it, I’m just going to paste this over …

He is the only Georgian to serve as president of his professional organization, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA). He also is a twice past president of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (SASDA), as well as a founder and twice president of the Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA), an organization which promotes the export of southern food and agricultural products.

Face it. He’s awesome. At 70, he’s older than many recent Ag Secretaries, but I challenge anyone to tell the 6’5″ son of a Georgia sharecropper that he is too old to do anything.

Alternate Picks: None. (Though I am open to suggestions, of course.)

Notable Predecessors: Notable? Notorious, maybe. Earl Butz headed the USDA during the Nixon and Ford administrations. While Butz had certainly the credentials to warrant the position — Dean of Agriculture at Purdue, for instance — his lack of verbal restraint left much to be desired. After a particularly jaw-dropping moment of racist overshare on Air Force One during Ford’s re-election campaign, Butz felt compelled to resign his post only weeks before Election Day. What did he say? Go read for yourself.

West Wing Reference: The Agriculture Secretary shows up twice during the series, both times during the first season. A different actor appeared either time. Of note, is that during the character’s second appearance, the Ag Sec was on the receiving end of one of President Bartlett’s best short-but-sweet conversations. Having been picked as the Secretary to stay away from the Capitol in the event of an executive-branch-eliminating tragedy, Bartlett gives Secretary Roger Tribbey this advice:

Bartlett: You got a best friend?
Tribbey: Yes, sir.
Bartlett: Is he smarter than you?
Tribbey: Yes sir.
Bartlett: Would you trust him with your life?
Tribbey: Yes sir.
Bartlett: That’s your Chief of Staff.

We’ll be hitting Chief of Staff later.

Likelihood: Not very. Chances are better than good that Tommy Irvin will remain in this post for as long as the good people of Georgia wish him to remain. And seeing that he has held the Commissioner’s seat since 1969, undefeated in all elections since, he’s staying.

Next Up? Commerce!