Francis E. Spinner
| Francis E. Spinner | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 10th Treasurer of the United States | |
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In office March 16, 1861 – July 30, 1875 |
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| President |
Abraham Lincoln Andrew Johnson Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | William C. Price |
| Succeeded by | John C. New |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 17th district |
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In office March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1861 |
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| Preceded by | Bishop Perkins |
| Succeeded by | Socrates N. Sherman |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 21, 1802 German Flatts, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 31, 1890 (aged 88) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mohawk Cemetery Mohawk, New York |
| Parents | John Peter Spinner Mary Magdalene Fidelis Brument Spinner |
| Signature |  |
Francis Elias Spinner (January 21, 1802 – December 31, 1890) was an American politician from New York. He was Treasurer of the United States from 1861 to 1875. He was the first administrator in the federal government to employ women for clerical jobs.
His father was John Peter Spinner (born in Werbach, Baden, 18 January 1768; died in German Flatts, NY, 27 May 1848), a Catholic priest who became a Protestant, married Mary Magdalene Fidelis Brument, emigrated to the United States in 1801, and was pastor of two German-speaking Dutch Reformed churches, at Herkimer and German Flatts until his death.
Francis Spinner was the eldest of nine children, six sons and three daughters. His father instructed him in languages, and in the common schools of Herkimer County he learned English grammar, reading, writing and arithmetic. His father required Spinner to learn a trade. Francis elected to become a merchant, and for about a year was employed as a clerk in a store. The store failed, and Francis was apprenticed to a confectioner in Albany.
In Albany, Spinner made the acquaintance of some educated men who took an interest in his welfare. Peter Gansevoort allowed him the use of his library. Two years after his arrival, when his father found he was being employed as a salesman and bookkeeper, Spinner was removed from that situation and apprenticed to a saddle and harness maker in Amsterdam, New York. Here Spinner became a shareholder in the circulating library, and studied its volumes when he wasn't busy learning his trade.
In 1824, Spinner moved back to Herkimer County, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1826, he married Caroline Caswell of Herkimer. He entered the state militia, and by 1834 had risen to the rank of major general. He was appointed deputy sheriff in 1829, and was sheriff of the County from 1834 to 1837. He was appointed one of the commissioners for the construction of the state lunatic asylum at Utica, New York in 1838. When he was removed from this post on political grounds, he engaged in banking, first as cashier and later as president, at the Mohawk Bank.
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