Who Is Brave Enough to Be Commerce Secretary?

Updated: December 4, 2012 | 2:13 p.m.
December 4, 2012 | 11:47 a.m.

(Shutterstock)

You may not have noticed, but we haven't had an official Commerce Department secretary since June. That was when then-Secretary John Bryson had a car accident after suffering what has been described as a series of seizures, prompting his resignation.

But Bryson wasn't the only Commerce secretary to leave the department under unhappy circumstances. He wasn't even the only one during President Obama's first term. For the superstitious among us, the decades old run of bad luck at the Commerce Department could qualify as a full-on curse.

So, Ron Kirk, Fred Hochberg, Karen Mills, and anyone else that could be under consideration for the job in Obama's next term: Be prepared. And look below to your history.

In July 1987, President Reagan's Commerce secretary, Malcolm Baldrige (far left), died in a rodeo accident when the horse he was riding fell on him. Baldrige, who was 64, had served as secretary for six years. (AP Photo)

In February 1995, after urging from 14 Republican senators, President Clinton's Justice Deoartment opened an investigation into Commerce Secretary Ron Brown's personal financial dealings. However, in the early stages of the investigation, Brown died in a plane crash in April 1996. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

President Obama nominated New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson to the top post in the department in December 2008. But Richardson withdrew his nomination just one month later, following the opening of a grand jury investigation into his dealings with a political donor. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

In early 2009, President Obama nominated Republican Senator Judd Gregg to be Commerce secretary. However, less than two weeks later, Gregg withdrew his nomination, citing “irresolvable conflicts” with the administration. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

John Bryson, who succeeded Gary Locke as Commerce Secretary after Locke was named ambassador to China, was cited in a hit-and-run felony in Southern California on June 9, 2012. A seizure was blamed for the accident, and prompted Bryson's resignation on June, 21. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade,File)

Who'll be next? The Obama administration proposed virtually eliminating the department in January, 2012, but that hasn't panned out. For a possible second-term appointment, look to Ron Kirk and others. (Shutterstock)

Correction: An earlier version of this gallery misstated when Gov. Bill Richardson was nominated for the position. It was prior to Sen. Judd Gregg's nomination.

Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox. Sign up for National Journal's morning alert, Wake-Up Call, and afternoon newsletter, The Edge. Subscribe here.