Charles Joseph Bonaparte | |
---|---|
37th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
In office July 1, 1905 – December 16, 1906 |
|
President | Theodore Roosevelt |
Preceded by | Paul Morton |
Succeeded by | Victor H. Metcalf |
46th United States Attorney General | |
In office December 17, 1906 – March 4, 1909 |
|
President | Theodore Roosevelt |
Preceded by | William H. Moody |
Succeeded by | George W. Wickersham |
Personal details | |
Born |
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
June 9, 1851
Died | June 28, 1921 Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S. |
(aged 70)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Ellen Channing Day Bonaparte |
Alma mater | Harvard University |
Profession | Lawyer |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Charles Joseph Bonaparte (/tʃɑːrlz ˈdʒoʊsəf ˈboʊnəˌpɑːrt/; French pronunciation: [ʃaʁlə ʒozɛf bɔnapaʁt]; June 9, 1851 – June 28, 1921) was an American lawyer and political activist for progressive and liberal causes. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, he served in the cabinet of the 26th U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt.
Bonaparte was the U.S. Secretary of the Navy and later the U.S. Attorney General. During his tenure as the attorney general, he created the Bureau of Investigation which later grew and expanded by the 1920s under the director J. Edgar Hoover, (1895–1972), as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). It was so renamed in 1935. He was a great-nephew of French Emperor Napoleon I.
Bonaparte was one of the founders, and for a time the president, of the National Municipal League. He was also a long time activist for the rights of black residents of his city.