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George Boutwell

George S. Boutwell
George Boutwell, Brady-Handy photo portrait, ca1870-1880.jpg
Portrait by Brady-Handy studio, c. 1870s
28th United States Secretary of the Treasury
In office
March 12, 1869 – March 16, 1873
President Ulysses S. Grant
Preceded by Hugh McCulloch
Succeeded by William Adams Richardson
United States Senator
from Massachusetts
In office
March 17, 1873 – March 3, 1877
Preceded by Henry Wilson
Succeeded by George Frisbie Hoar
20th Governor of Massachusetts
In office
January 11, 1851 – January 14, 1853
Lieutenant Henry W. Cushman
Preceded by George N. Briggs
Succeeded by John H. Clifford
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts's 7th district
In office
March 4, 1863 – March 12, 1869
Preceded by Daniel W. Gooch
Succeeded by George M. Brooks
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office
1842–1844
1847–1850
Personal details
Born George Sewall Boutwell
(1818-01-28)January 28, 1818
Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died February 27, 1905(1905-02-27) (aged 87)
Groton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Republican
Spouse(s) Sarah Adelia Thayer
Profession Politician, lawyer, teacher
Signature

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 President Ulysses S. Grant, the 20th Governor of Massachusetts, a Senator and Representative from Massachusetts and the first Commissioner of Internal Revenue under President Abraham Lincoln. He was a leader in the impeachment of Andrew Johnson.

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.


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