President Abraham Lincoln named William Seward as his secretary of state when they competed for the 1860 Republican nomination. John Quincy Adams named Henry Clay as his secretary of state after they competed for the 1824 presidential election. James K. Polk named James Buchanan as his secretary of state after they competed for the 1844 Democratic nomination. James Garfield named James Blaine as his secretary of state after they competed for the 1880 Republican nomination. Barack Obama named Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state after they competed for the 2008 Democratic nomination.