Talk:Secretary to the President of the United States

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James Payne Todd of John Payne Todd

Under Madison, James Payne Todd is listed as his secretary. Surely this is John Payne Todd, the President's adopted son. But, then again, surely not. John P T, was a ne'er-do-well, to put it politely, who used the money meant for his mother's (Dolley Madison) burial to support his drinking. Our bio doesn't mention him serving as the President's secretary. I searched for "James Payne Todd" but have only seen one obvious typo (John and James on the same page for the same person) so far. Smallbones (talk) 14:39, 4 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Hello @Smallbones I am here 13 years later with same concern. I will double check that John Payne Todd was a secretary. jengod (talk) 01:52, 27 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Per this, page 105 yes John was personal secretary for a while they just typod his name but it's the only option. jengod (talk) 01:56, 27 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

What are the positions being described?

The section https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_to_the_President_of_the_United_States#Personal_secretary_to_the_President

begins by stating "The Secretary to the President should not be confused with the modern President's personal secretary who is officially an Administrative Assistant in the President's Office."

What does this mean? Who or what position is the "Secretary to the President," and how are they differentiated from the modern President's personal secretary? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Greg Dahlen (talk • contribs) 12:49, 4 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]