Clinton picks record number of blacks foe his cabinet - president-elect Bill Clinton

When he leads the bus caravan from the Virginia home of Thomas Jefferson for his January 20th inaugural in the nation's capital, President-elect Bill Clinton will have achieved the most difficult yet impressive campaign promise - selection of a diversified Cabinet.

By nominating upwards of four Blacks to the nation's highest policy-making body, the President set an all-time record involving minorities - by far surpassing all of his predecessors and setting the stage for wide participation by Blacks in areas hitherto closed to them. Still to be chosen are the personnel for the White House and the second tier department policy makers who will be responsible for direction in such spheres as civil rights, minority business, quality education, and job training.

The only predictable Cabinet member is new Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, the individual most credited with delivering the November victory with his stellar leadership as the Democratic Party's first Black national chairman. In this post, Brown stands to gain a global reputation by coordinating a new drive to develop more and more competitive businesses at home and abroad.

The influence of former National Urban League Secretary Vernon Jordan was seen in the recruitment of both Chicagoan Jesse Brown, 48, the secretary of Veterans Affairs, and corporate executive Hazel R. O'Leary, the Energy secretary. Refusing to believe that qualified Blacks couldn't be found, a frequent excuse used for decades to eliminate consideration of Blacks, Jordan, as the transition team chairman, encouraged the most extensive recruitment drive to find candidates for the Clinton Cabinet.

Wounded while on a Marine patrol in Vietnam in 1965, Brown has a paralyzed right arm. Executive Director of the Disabled American Veterans national service and legislative headquarters in Washington, Brown has held the post since 1967. A graduate of Chicago City College, Brown is a longtime lobbyist on Capitol Hill for veteran causes.

The selection of Ms. O'Leary, president in charge of natural gas operations of the Northern States Power Company in Minnesota, created ripples of speculation. One of the few Black women executives in utilities, Ms. O'Leary, a widowed mother with a son, was described as "a spark plug" by President-elect Clinton, who hopes to move the 18,000-employe department into the front lines.

She served in Washington under the Ford and Carter administrations and is considered "savvy" in dealing with corporate interests.

At her Little Rock press conference, the nominee spoke about her dedication to conservation.

"I drive a demonstration vehicle that runs on compressed natural gas," said the energy expert who played a key role in regulation of the oil, gas, and electrical industries and in implementation of environmental and conservation policies in the adminstrations of President Carter and President Ford.

Attorney O'Leary is a 1959 graduate of historically-Black Fisk University and graduated in 1966 with a J.D. degree from Rutgers University School of Law. Since leaving the government, she remained active in public service which began

in New Jersey, where she served as Assistant Attorney General and Assistant Prosecutor of Essex County.

In another move that signalled his intent to name more than one Black to positions of power, influence and clout, President-elect Clinton named former Michigan State University President Clifton Wharton Jr. to serve as deputy secretary of state, which is headed by career State Department diplomat Warren Christopher.

Wharton, who is paid a reported $1/2 million a year to head Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-college retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF) - the nation's largest pension system - has a stellar background for the post. His father, Clifton Sr., was the first Black career diplomat to be named a U.S. ambassador and worked for the State Department 40 years. At age 16, Clifton Jr. entered Harvard. He became the first Black admitted to Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies where he received a master's degree. He earned the Ph.D. in economics from the Univ. of Chicago.

"As a child of a career foreign service officer, I understand what this opportunity means for our country and for the world, and I sincerely hope that my experience will be of value," Wharton said when Clinton announced his nomination to the international policy team.

Over the Christmas holiday, President-elect Clinton was filling out his Washington command staff with the key White House staffers and the second tier nominees at the major departments and agencies. Included in the overhaul are the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights now headed by GOPer Art Fletcher and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The next batch of Black federal officials probably will contain more household names from civil rights, legal and civic fields as the transition team fills more than 3,500 positions in Washington, around the country, and throughout the world.