(Abraham Alphonse) Albert Gallatin - Early life, Political career

Financier and statesman, born in Geneva, SW Switzerland. He studied at Geneva in 1779, then went to the USA (1780), settling in Pennsylvania. He was elected to the US House of Representatives (1795), where he set up the House Committee on Finance (later the Ways and Means Committee), and became secretary of the Treasury (1801–13). He played an important part in the peace negotiations with Britain in 1814, and signed the Treaty of Ghent, later becoming minister at Paris (1815–23) and at London (1826–7). A student of Indian tribes, in 1842 he founded the American Ethnological Society of New York.

Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29, 1761 – August 12, 1849) was a Swiss-American ethnologist, linguist, politician, diplomat, Congressman, and the longest-serving United States Secretary of the Treasury.

Born in Switzerland, Gallatin immigrated to America in the 1780s, ultimately settling in Pennsylvania.

Early life

Gallatin was born in Geneva, Switzerland to a wealthy family, emigrating to Massachusetts in 1780.

Political career

Almost immediately, Gallatin became active in Pennsylvania politics;

Senator

In 1793, Gallatin won election to the United States Senate. When the Third Congress opened on December 2, 1793, he took the oath of office, but, on that same day, nineteen Pennsylvania Federalists filed a protest with the Senate that Gallatin did not have the minimum nine years of citizenship required to be a senator. The petition was sent to committee, which duly reported that Gallatin had not been a citizen for the required period. Gallatin rebutted the committee report, noting his unbroken residence of thirteen years in the United States, his 1785 oath of allegiance to the Commonwealth of Virginia, his service in the Pennsylvania legislature, and his substantial property holdings in the United States. The report and Gallatin's rebuttal were sent to a second committee.

Gallatin's brief stint in the Senate was not without consequence. Gallatin had proven to be an effective opponent of Alexander Hamilton's financial policies, and the election controversy added to his fame.

As party leader, Gallatin put a great deal of pressure on Treasury Secretary Oliver Wolcott Jr.

Secretary of the Treasury

When Jefferson became President, Gallatin was appointed Secretary of the Treasury. Gallatin served in that post for thirteen years, the longest term in history for that office. The United States was able to make the Louisiana Purchase without a tax increase in large part due to Gallatin's efforts.

In 1812, the United States was financially unprepared for war. For example, the Democratic Republicans allowed the First Bank of the United States to expire in 1811, over Gallatin's objections. Despite anger from Congress, Gallatin was forced to reintroduce the Federalist taxes he had denounced in 1798, such as the taxes on whiskey and salt, as well as a direct tax on land and slaves.

Diplomat

In 1813, President James Madison sent him as the United States representative to a Russian-brokered peace talk, which Britain ultimately refused, preferring direct negotiations. Gallatin then resigned as Secretary of the Treasury to head the United States delegation for these negotiations in France and was instrumental in the securing of the Treaty of Ghent, which brought the War of 1812 to a close.

At war's end, Gallatin, preferring to remain in France, was appointed United States Minister to that country and held that post for another seven years.

By 1826, there was much contention between the United States and Britain over claims to the Columbia River system on the Northwest coast. Gallatin put forward a claim in favor of American ownership, outlining what has been called the “principle of contiguity” in his statement called “The Land West of the Rockies”. He became president of the National Bank (which was later renamed Gallatin Bank). In 1849, Gallatin died in Astoria in what is now the Borough of Queens, New York;

Native American studies

Throughout his public service career, Gallatin pursued an interest in Native American language and culture. Gallatin's research resulted in two published works: A Table of Indian Languages of the United States (1826) and Synopsis of the Indian Tribes of North America (1836).

In 1842, Gallatin joined with John Russell Bartlett to found the American Ethnological Society. In politics, Gallatin stood for assimilation of Native Americans into European based American society, encouraging federal efforts in education leading to assimilation and denying annuities for Native Americans displaced by western expansion. Gallatin County, Montana is named in his honor. Gallatin County, Kentucky is named in his honor. The Albert Gallatin Area School District in Fayette County, Pennsylvania was named in his honor. The United States Department of the Treasury's highest career service award is named the Albert Gallatin Award in his honor. The Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University honors his founding. Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Preceded by: William Maclay	U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Pennsylvania December 2, 1793–February 28, 1794 (election declared void) Served alongside: Robert Morris	Succeeded by: James Ross
Preceded by: William Findley	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district 1795–1801	Succeeded by: John Smilie
Preceded by: Samuel Dexter	United States Secretary of the Treasury 1801–1814	Succeeded by: George W. Campbell
Preceded by: William Harris Crawford	United States Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to France 1815–1823	Succeeded by: James Brown
Preceded by: Rufus King	United States Minister Plenipotentiary to Great Britain 1826–1827	Succeeded by: James Barbour

United States Secretaries of the Treasury

Hamilton • Wolcott • Dexter • Gallatin • Campbell • Dallas • Crawford • Rush • Ingham • McLane • Duane • Taney • Woodbury • Ewing • Forward • Spencer • Bibb • Walker • Meredith • Corwin • Guthrie • Cobb • Thomas • Dix • Chase • Fessenden • McCulloch • Boutwell • Richardson • Bristow • Morrill • Sherman • Windom • Folger • Gresham • McCulloch • Manning • Fairchild • Windom • Foster • Carlisle • Gage • Shaw • Cortelyou • MacVeagh • McAdoo • Glass • Houston • Mellon • Mills • Woodin • Morgenthau • Vinson • Snyder • Humphrey • Anderson • Dillon • Fowler • Barr • Kennedy • Connally • Shultz • Simon • Blumenthal • Miller • Regan • Baker • Brady • Bentsen • Rubin • Summers • O'Neill • Snow • Paulson

Persondata
NAME	Gallatin, Abraham Alfonse Albert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Gallatin, Albert
SHORT DESCRIPTION	American politician; Secretary of the Treasury
DATE OF BIRTH	January 29, 1761
PLACE OF BIRTH	Geneva, Switzerland
DATE OF DEATH	August 12, 1849
PLACE OF DEATH	Astoria, New York, United States