George S. Boutwell

George S. Boutwell, born on January 28, 1818, was a prominent American politician, lawyer, and statesman hailing from Massachusetts. His illustrious career included serving as Secretary of the Treasury under President Ulysses S. Grant, as well as holding the esteemed positions of the 20th governor of Massachusetts, a U.S. senator, and a representative. Notably, he was the first Commissioner of Internal Revenue under President Abraham Lincoln, where he played a pivotal role in shaping fiscal policy during a tumultuous period in American history.

A staunch abolitionist, Boutwell was instrumental in the formation of the Republican Party and championed the rights of African American citizens during the Reconstruction era. His legislative efforts were crucial in the drafting and passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, which aimed to secure citizenship and voting rights for formerly enslaved individuals.

As Secretary of the Treasury, Boutwell implemented significant reforms in the wake of the American Civil War, notably reducing the national debt through controversial measures that included selling Treasury gold and utilizing greenbacks to purchase Treasury bonds. His collaboration with President Grant was vital in thwarting an attempt to corner the gold market in September eighteen sixty-nine by injecting four million dollars of gold into the economy.

In his later years, Boutwell continued to advocate for civil rights, sponsoring the Civil Rights Act of eighteen seventy-five and chairing a Senate committee investigating white supremacist violence during the Mississippi state election campaign. Appointed by President Rutherford B. Hayes in eighteen seventy-seven, he worked on codifying the Revised Statutes of the United States and served as United States counsel before the French and American Claims Commission in eighteen eighty.

As the 20th century approached, Boutwell distanced himself from the Republican Party, opposing the acquisition of the Philippines and supporting Democrat William Jennings Bryan in the presidential election of nineteen hundred. His legacy was further solidified with the publication of the first major biography in twenty twenty-five, shedding light on his significant contributions to American politics and civil rights.