In my continuing quest to understand the statuary of my town…here’s a good one.

 

Albert Gallatin was Secretary of the Treasury from 1801 to 1814.  He has a terrific place of tribute smack dab in front of the US Treasury Building next to the White House.  And, again, as is my wont, I bet I’ve passed him dozens upon dozens of times without an earthly idea of who he was until today.

 

He was the longest serving Secretary in the Treasury’s history.  He was born in Switzerland, was a vocal opponent of Alexander Hamilton (later he also spoke out against Andrew Jackson for president – now Jackson sits on a bronze horse about a block away -- Gallatin was obviously not a lover of the wild and independent-minded) and he seemed to really enjoy developing reports and new processes for his fledgling department.  Gallatin took control of the federal deficit and managed the fiscal part of the Louisiana Purchase (he actually helped plan the Lewis & Clark Expedition too).

 

After his years at Treasury, Gallatin worked on the Treaty of Ghent, and served as an American ambassador in both France and England.  He founded New York University, after his retirement from public service, in order to give the urban working class a place for higher education.  When he died, at the age of 88, he was the last surviving member of the Jefferson cabinet.  

 

He was the first Cabinet member ever photographed (long after his term, of course) and I saw a photo of him online that makes him look like a sharp-faced, gnarled, little bald guy - nothing like the dynamic figure of this statue -- in bronze at the age of 40 or so he’s kinda hot.

 

Jeez, I’m tired just thinking of all that he accomplished.  What a jam-packed life -- not wildly exciting perhaps, but pretty impressive for a bureaucrat!