03/08/1849 Thomas Ewing of Ohio was appointed the first secretary of the new Interior Department by President Zachary Taylor. (By John Osborne) Source Citation Joseph Nathan Kane, ed., Famous First Facts (New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1981), 327. Record Data Date Certainty Exact Type Lawmaking/Litigating People Ewing, Thomas, Sr. Taylor, Zachary Places Washington, DC Images