Alexander J. Dallas (statesman)
A foundational American financier who stabilized the nation's bankrupt treasury after the War of 1812 and helped create the Second Bank.
1759–1817 (age 58)·American politician·Birthday: June 21
Biography
Born in Jamaica and raised in Edinburgh and London, Alexander Dallas brought a cosmopolitan intellect to the raw project of American nation-building. He settled in Philadelphia, building a formidable legal career that saw him argue before the Supreme Court and serve as the nation's first official reporter of its decisions. When President James Madison called him to the Treasury Department in 1814, the United States was in financial chaos, its credit shattered by war. Dallas acted with swift, decisive force. He pushed through new taxes, engineered a national loan, and championed the re-establishment of a central bank to restore confidence. His 1816 blueprint led directly to the Second Bank of the United States. More than an administrator, Dallas was a theorist whose policies laid the groundwork for the American System of internal improvements and protective tariffs, shaping the economic debates that would define the next generation.
#1 When Alexander Was Born
The biggest hits of 1759
Alexander's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1759Born
1764Started school
1772Became a teenager
1775Could drive
1777Could vote
1780Turned 21
1789Turned 30
1799Turned 40
1809Turned 50
1817Died at 58
Key Achievements
- Served as the 6th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, rescuing federal finances from collapse after the War of 1812.
- Was the principal architect of the charter for the Second Bank of the United States, established in 1816.
- Served as the first Reporter of Decisions for the U.S. Supreme Court, creating the initial systematic record of its opinions.
- Held the position of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for 13 years.
- Played a key role in the development of the American System of economic nationalism.
Did You Know?
He was born in the British colony of Jamaica, the son of a Scottish physician and a Jamaican mother.
Before his Treasury role, he was offered, but declined, a nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Madison.
The city of Dallas, Texas, is named after his son, George Mifflin Dallas, who was Vice President under James K. Polk.
He used his legal skills to successfully defend Philadelphia's controversial theater manager and playwright William Dunlap in a landmark case.
“A nation's credit is the foundation upon which its character is built.”
