5 март 1881 г. - Cabinet nominees are approved by the Senate. Among them is Robert Lincoln, son of the former President Abraham Lincoln, as Secretary of War. Another is Thomas James, then postmaster of New York City as Postmaster General. James had a reputation as a reformer--important in light of spreading concern about corruption in the postal service (the so-called “star route” scandal). James’s nomination was opposed by New York Republican political boss Roscoe Conkling