The Cabinet of the United States, which is the principal advisory body to the president of the United States, has had 25 permanent African-American members serving as vice president or head of one of the federal executive departments and 10 African-American as cabinet-level officials, which can differ under each president. Of that number, one African-American was elected vice president, one was appointed to the helm of the different departments, and no one served both as Cabinet and Cabinet-rank officeholders. The U.S. Census Bureau defines African Americans as citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. The term is generally used for Americans with at least partial ancestry in any of the original peoples of sub-Saharan Africa. Dur