George S. Boutwell
United States politician
Died when: 87 years 30 days (1044 months)Star Sign: Aquarius
George Sewall Boutwell (January 28, 1818 – February 27, 1905) was an American politician, lawyer, and statesman from Massachusetts.He served as Secretary of the Treasury under U.S.
President Ulysses S.Grant, the 20th Governor of Massachusetts, a Senator and Representative from Massachusetts and the first Commissioner of Internal Revenue under U.S.
President Abraham Lincoln.He was a leader in the impeachment of U.S.President Andrew Johnson, and served as a House manager (prosecutor) in the impeachment trial.
Boutwell, an abolitionist, is primarily known for his leadership in the formation of the Republican Party, and his championship of African American citizenship and suffrage rights during Reconstruction.
As U.S.Representative, he was instrumental in the construction and passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.
As Secretary of Treasury, he made needed reforms in the Treasury Department after the chaos of the American Civil War and the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson.
He controversially reduced the national debt by selling Treasury gold and using greenbacks to buy up Treasury bonds, a process that created a cash shortage.
Boutwell and President Grant thwarted an attempt to corner the gold market in September 1869 by releasing $4,000,000 of gold into the economy.
As U.S.Senator, Boutwell sponsored the Civil Rights Act of 1875.In 1877, President Rutherford B.Hayes appointed Boutwell commissioner to codify the Revised Statutes of the United States and in 1880 to serve as United States counsel before the French and American Claims Commission.
He also practiced international law in other diplomatic fora.At the turn of the 20th century, he abandoned the Republican Party, opposed the acquisition of the Philippines, and supported William Jennings Bryan for president.
Related People
.jpg?width=300)
United States politician
United States politician
.jpg?width=300)
United States politician