good post
from wiki
[edit] Political career
In 1953, Benson was appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by President Eisenhower. Benson accepted this position with the permission of Church President David O. McKay and therefore served simultaneously in the United States Cabinet and in the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve.
Known for initiating Eisenhower's habit of beginning cabinet meetings with a prayer,[citation needed] Benson cut a controversial figure in politics. Ideologically, he was far to the right of Eisenhower, and he was prone to red-baiting in speeches. Benson opposed the system of government price supports and aid to farmers which he was entrusted by Eisenhower to administer, arguing that it amounted to unacceptable socialism. Nonetheless, he survived in his cabinet position for all eight years of Eisenhower's presidency. He was selected as the administrator-designate of the Emergency Food Agency, part of a secret group created by Eisenhower in 1958 that would serve in the event of a national emergency that became known as the Eisenhower Ten.