Alexander J. Dallas (statesman)

Alexander J. Dallas (statesman)

Infobox US Cabinet official
name=Alexander James Dallas


order=1st
title=United States Supreme Court Reporter of Decisions
term_start=1790
term_end=1800
predecessor="(none)"
successor=William Cranch
order2=6th
title2=United States Secretary of the Treasury
term_start2=October 6, 1814
term_end2=October 21, 1816
predecessor2=George W. Campbell
successor2=William H. Crawford
birth_date=birth date|1759|6|21|mf=y
birth_place=Kingston, Jamaica
death_date=death date and age|1817|1|16|1759|6|21
death_place=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
party=Democratic-Republican
spouse=Arabella Maria Dallas
profession=Lawyer, Politician

Alexander James Dallas (June 21, 1759 – January 16, 1817) was an American statesman who served as the U.S. Treasury Secretary under President James Madison.

Dallas was born in Kingston, Jamaica, to Dr. Robert Charles Dallas (1710 – 1769) and Sarah Elizabeth (Cormack) Hewitt. When he was five his family moved to Edinburgh (his father was a Scotsman) and then to London. There he studied under James Elphinston. He planned to study law, but was unable to afford it. He married Arabella Maria Smith of Pennsylvania, the daughter of Maj. George Smith of the British Army and Arabella Barlow (in turn the daughter of the Rev. William Barlow and Arabella Trevanion, the daughter of Sir Nicholas Trevanion), in 1780 and the next year they moved to Jamaica. There he was admitted to the bar through his father's connections. Maria's health suffered in Jamaica and they moved to Philadelphia in 1783. Dallas was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1785. His law practice was slow and on the side he edited the "Pennsylvania Herald" from 1787 to 1788 and the "Columbian Magazine" from 1787 to 1789.

When the United States Supreme Court came to Philadelphia in 1791, he would become their first reporter of decisions. Because the post of reporter was an unofficial one, Dallas did his work from his own funds. The volumes, of which he produced only four, were faulted for being incomplete, inaccurate, and extremely tardy. For example, the landmark ruling in "Chisholm v. Georgia" (1793) which prompted the Eleventh Amendment, was not reported by Dallas until five years later, well after the Amendment had been ratified. When he abandoned reporting of decisions when the Court moved to the new capital, Washington, D.C., he declared "I have found such miserable encouragement for my reports that I have determined to call them all in, and devote them to the rats in the State-House." He was a founder of the Democratic-Republican Societies in 1793.

Governor Thomas Mifflin named Dallas secretary of the commonwealth, a post he held from 1791 to 1801. Because Mifflin was an alcoholic, Dallas functioned as de facto governor for much of the late 1790s. Dallas helped found the Democratic Republican party in Pennsylvania and advocated a strict construction of the new Constitution.

In 1801, he was named United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and served until 1814. When his friend Albert Gallatin was treasury secretary when the War of 1812 began, he helped Gallatin obtain funds to fight Britain. The war nearly bankrupted the country by the time Dallas replaced Gallatin as treasury secretary. Dallas reorganized the Treasury Department, brought the government budget back into surplus, championed the creation of the Second Bank of the United States, and put the nation back on the specie system. From March 14, 1815 to December 1815 he was acting Secretary of War and for a time that year was acting Secretary of State as well. He returned to Philadelphia, but lived only a year.

He was a member of the American Philosophical Society from 1791 and a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dallas County, Alabama, is named for him, and Fort Dallas in Florida and the U.S. Navy ship USS "Dallas" (DD-199) were named after his son, Alexander J. Dallas, who died during his Navy service.

His other son George Mifflin Dallas was Vice President under James K. Polk and one possible namesake for Dallas, Texas; his father and brother are other possible namesakes of the Texas city.

External links

* [http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/features/1700s/people/dallas_alex.html Biography and portrait at the University of Pennsylvania]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6661789 Alexander J. Dallas] at Find A Grave


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Alexander J. Dallas — Alexander J. Dallas, or Alexander James Dallas, may refer to: *Alexander J. Dallas (statesman) (1759 1817), U.S. Treasurer, etc. (father of the sailor) *Alexander J. Dallas (U.S. Navy officer) (1791 1844), namesake of a fort in Florida and a U.S …   Wikipedia

  • Alexander J. Dallas — Portait d Alexander Dallas comme secrétaire au Trésor Alexander James Dallas (21 juin 1759 – 16 janvier 1817) est un homme d État américain et le secrétaire au Trésor des États Unis sous la présidence de James Madison. Biographie Il est né à …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Alexander Dallas — may refer to: Alexander Grant Dallas (1816–1882), British governor of Rupert s Land and Hudson s Bay Company administrator Alexander J. Dallas (statesman) (1759–1817), American Secretary of Treasury under president James Madison (father of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Dallas (name) — Dallas Gender Unisex Origin Word/Name Scottish, English Meaning From the Dales, The valley meadows Other names …   Wikipedia

  • Sarah Franklin Bache — by John Hoppner, 1793 Born 11 September 1743(1743 09 11) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Di …   Wikipedia

  • James Madison — For other people named James Madison, see James Madison (disambiguation). James Madison …   Wikipedia

  • List of Alabama county name etymologies — This is a list of Alabama county name etymologies. Many Alabama counties are named for soldiers who fought in the Creek War, Confederate heroes, local Native American groups and Southern state governors and U.S. Senators.* Autauga County: Autauga …   Wikipedia

  • 1817 — Year 1817 (MDCCCXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12 day slower Julian calendar). Events of 1817 January March * January 19 An …   Wikipedia

  • David Matthew Kennedy — Porträt von Kennedy im US Finanzministerium David Matthew Kennedy (* 21. Juli 1905 in Randolph (Utah); † 1. Mai 1996 in Salt Lake City) war ein US amerikanischer Geschäftsmann, Diplomat, Politiker sowie Finanzminister …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • George Sewall Boutwell — George S. Boutwell (um 1875) George Sewall Boutwell (* 28. Januar 1818 in Brookline, Massachusetts; † 27. Februar 1905 in Groton, Massachusetts) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”