J. Donald Cameron
| James Donald Cameron | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 32nd United States Secretary of War | |
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In office May 22, 1876 – March 4, 1877 |
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| President | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | Alphonso Taft |
| Succeeded by | George W. McCrary |
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United States Senator from Pennsylvania |
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In office March 20, 1877 – March 3, 1897 |
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| Preceded by | Simon Cameron |
| Succeeded by | Boies Penrose |
| 7th Chairman of the Republican National Committee | |
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In office 1879–1880 |
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| Preceded by | Zachariah Chandler |
| Succeeded by | Marshall Jewell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 14, 1833 Middletown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | August 30, 1918 (aged 85) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Mary McCormick Elizabeth Sherman Cameron |
| Children | Eliza McCormick Cameron Virginia Rolette Cameron James McCormick Cameron Mary Cameron Margaretta Brua Cameron Rachel Burnside Cameron Martha Cameron |
| Alma mater | Princeton College |
| Profession | Politician, Clerk, Cashier, Railroad President |
James Donald Cameron (May 14, 1833 – August 30, 1918) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant and in the United States Senate for nearly twenty years. In May, 1876 Cameron was part of a Cabinet realignment by President Grant, having been appointed after a brief tenure by Secretary Alphonso Taft, whom Grant appointed U.S. Attorney General. Former Secretary William W. Belknap had resigned from office, was impeached by the House for taking profit money from the Fort Sill tradership, put on trial in the Senate and acquitted. Secretary Cameron was one of two father-son combinations that served as Secretary of War. Secretary Simon Cameron was Cameron's father who served under President Abraham Lincoln. The other father-son combination was Secretary Alphonso Taft and his son Secretary William Howard Taft. During Cameron's tenure the U.S. Military was challenged by the Great Sioux War and by the threat of a second Southern secession after the controversial election of President Rutherford B. Hayes that ended Reconstruction. Cameron proved to be an energetic administrator and his appointment as Secretary of War launched his lengthy political career in the Senate.
Cameron was raised and educated near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Princeton College, Cameron worked in the banking and railroad industries. In May 1876, Cameron was appointed Secretary of War by President Ulysses S. Grant serving until March 1877. After leaving the Grant Cabinet, Cameron served as Pennsylvania's U.S. Senator from 1877 to 1897, having served as chairman on two powerful Senate committees. In 1890, Senator Cameron supported the Federal Elections Bill that enforced African American voting rights in the South. After leaving the Senate, Cameron worked in various industrial businesses until his death in 1918. Cameron was the last surviving cabinet member of the Grant Administration.
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