Editing Andrew Jackson (section)

===Petticoat affair===
{{Main|Petticoat affair}}

[[File:Pettycoat Affair during Andrew Jackson's first administration.jpg|thumb|A lithograph cartoon, ''The Celeste-al Cabinet'', by Albert A. Hoffay, published by [[Henry R. Robinson]] in 1836, depicting Jackson's cabinet during the Petticoat Affair; "Celeste" is [[Peggy Eaton|Margaret Eaton]].|alt= Jackson faces a woman dancing, flanked by three seated men on right; three seated men on left and one man standing behind the woman]]

Jackson spent much of his time during his first two and a half years in office dealing with what came to be known as the "Petticoat affair" or "Eaton affair".{{sfn|Wood|1997|p=238}}{{sfn|Marszalek|1997|p=vii}} The affair focused on Secretary of War Eaton's wife, [[Peggy Eaton|Margaret]]. She had a reputation for being promiscuous, and like Rachel Jackson, she was accused of adultery. She and Eaton had been close before her first husband [[John B. Timberlake|John Timberlake]] died, and they married nine months after his death.{{sfn|Meacham|2008|pp=66–67}} With the exception of Barry's wife Catherine,{{sfn|Howe|2007|pp=336}} the cabinet members' wives followed the lead of Vice-president Calhoun's wife [[Floride Calhoun|Floride]] and refused to socialize with the Eatons.{{sfn|Marszalek|1997|pp=53–55}} Though Jackson defended Margaret, her presence split the cabinet, which had been so ineffective that he rarely called it into session,{{sfn|Latner|2002|p=105}} and the ongoing disagreement led to its dissolution.{{sfn|Wood|1997|pp=239–241}}

In early 1831, Jackson demanded the resignations of all the cabinet members except Barry,{{sfn|Latner|2002|p=108}} who would resign in 1835 when a Congressional investigation revealed his mismanagement of the Post Office.{{sfn|Remini|1984|pp=240–243}} Jackson tried to compensate Van Buren by appointing him the [[List of ambassadors of the United States to the United Kingdom#Duties|Minister to Great Britain]], but Calhoun blocked the nomination with a tie-breaking vote against it.{{sfn|Latner|2002|p=108}} Van Buren—along with newspaper editors [[Amos Kendall]]{{sfn|Cole|1997|p=24}} and [[Francis Preston Blair]]{{sfn|Meacham|2008|p=165}}—would become regular participants in Jackson's [[Kitchen Cabinet]], an unofficial, varying group of advisors that Jackson turned to for decision making even after he had formed a new official cabinet.{{sfn|Latner|1978|pp=380–385}}