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Historical records matching William J. Duane, U.S. Sec'y of Treasury
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About William J. Duane, U.S. Sec'y of Treasury
William John Duane (May 9, 1780 – September 27, 1865) was an Irish born American politician and lawyer from Pennsylvania. In 1833, President Andrew Jackson appointed Duane Secretary of the Treasury.
Born in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland, Duane emigrated to the United States with his parents, William Duane, and Catherine Corcoran in 1796, settling in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He assisted his father in publishing the Aurora, a Philadelphia newspaper, until 1806. He became an influential lawyer and served several terms in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. He was one of the most powerful state politicians in Pennsylvania at the time.
He married on December 31, 1805 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Deborah Franklin Bache, who was born on October 1, 1781 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and died on February 12, 1863 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father was Richard Bache, Sr. a marine insurance underwriter and importer in Philadelphia. He served as United States Postmaster General from 1776 to 1782. Her mother was Sarah Franklin Bache the daughter of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America and Deborah Read.
In 1833, President Andrew Jackson appointed Duane Secretary of the Treasury. Like his predecessor, Louis McLane, who was moved to the Department of State, Duane refused to remove government deposits from the Bank of the United States and transfer them to state banks. This caused clashes with Jackson and Duane was soon replaced by Roger B. Taney. He defended his own position in his book Narrative and Correspondence Concerning the Removal of the Deposites, and Occurrences Connected Therewith, published in 1838.
Duane died on September 27, 1865.
William John Duane (May 9, 1780 – September 27, 1865) was an American politician and lawyer from Pennsylvania.
Duane served a brief term as United States Secretary of the Treasury in 1833. His refusal to withdraw Federal deposits from the Second Bank of the United States led to his dismissal by President Andrew Jackson.
Early life
Duane was born on May 9, 1780 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland, Duane emigrated to the United States with his parents, William Duane, and Catherine Corcoran in 1796, settling in Philadelphia. He assisted his father in publishing the Aurora, a pro-Jeffersonian Philadelphia newspaper, until 1806. He became an influential lawyer and served several terms in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, becoming one of the most powerful state politicians in Pennsylvania at the time.[1] His father-in-law was Richard Bache, Sr., a marine insurance underwriter and importer in Philadelphia. Bache served as United States Postmaster General from 1776 to 1782. His mother-in-law was Sarah Franklin Bache, the daughter of Benjamin Franklin. He was married on December 31, 1805 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Deborah Franklin Bache, who was born on October 1, 1781 in Philadelphia, and died on February 12, 1863 in Philadelphia.
Duane supported Jackson for president in 1824 and 1828. He declined appointments to serve as government director of the Second Bank of the United States and United States District Attorney.[2]
Secretary of the Treasury
In 1833, in the midst of the Bank War, President Andrew Jackson attempted to remove federal deposits from the Second Bank of the United States, whose money-lending functions were taken over by the legions of local and state banks that materialized across America, thus drastically increasing credit and speculation.[3] Jackson's moves were greatly controversial. He removed his moderately pro-Bank Treasury Secretary Louis McLane, having him serve instead as Secretary of State, replacing Edward Livingston. On May 29, he replaced McLane with Duane.[4] However, Duane also refused to remove the deposits. As a result, Jackson fired him in September. He replaced him with Attorney General Roger B. Taney, a strong opponent of the Bank.[5] Under Taney, the deposits began to be removed.[3]
Duane defended his own position in his book Narrative and Correspondence Concerning the Removal of the Deposits, and Occurrences Connected Therewith, published in 1838.
Jackson biographer James Parton heaps high praise upon Duane. He lauds the Treasury Secretary for refusing to yield to a position that he could not in good conscience accepted, therefore preserving his integrity and honor. "In not yielding," Parton says, "he displayed a genuine moral heroism."[6] Later Jackson biographer Robert V. Remini treats Duane far less favorably. He faults both Jackson and Duane for the turmoil that characterized Duane's brief time in office. He criticizes Jackson for not adequately screening Duane before nominating him, for allowing members of his administration to treat him poorly upon taking office, and for his dismissal of Duane. He continues:
But Duane is not without fault. When all is said and done, he placed his own judgment above that of the President. All because of wounded pride, he challenged not only Jackson's policy but his authority to make that policy. He was a small-minded, inconsequential bureaucrat, and he deserved to be sacked.[7]
William J. Duane (1833)
President Jackson, searching for a Secretary who would do his bidding, appointed William J. Duane (1780 - 1865) Secretary of the Treasury in May 1833 after the shift of Secretary Louis McLane to the State Department. Jackson hoped that he could persuade Duane to withdraw the Government's deposits from the Second Bank of the United States, which McLane had refused to do. Duane was opposed to the Bank in principle and felt that it was unconstitutional and monopolistic, but he recognized that the sudden removal of the Government's funds from the Bank would cause a panic affecting the farmer and the common man which would "plunge the fiscal concerns of the country into chaos.
Duane also maintained that he had no right to withdraw the funds without the consent of Congress, which had, in its previous session, declared the Bank safe for Government deposits. Jackson enlisted the help of his Attorney General, Roger B. Taney, to present his argument for the withdrawal of funds to the entire Cabinet. Duane still refused to take any action without the consent of Congress, and Jackson dismissed him after only four months of service, declaring, "He is either the weakest mortal, or the most strange composition I have ever met with." Treasury.Gov
Additional Information Google Books
- Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Sep 14 2017, 3:50:09 UTC
Presidential Cabinet Secretary. The son of journalist William Duane, he followed his father into the newspaper business and served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1809. He then studied law, served again in the Pennsylvania House from 1812 to 1814, and became an attorney. Duane returned to the Pennsylvania House in 1819 and also became the Prosecutor for Philadelphia's Mayor's Court. In 1829, he served as a US Commissioner in Copenhagen, where he took part in treaty negotiations with the government of Denmark. In 1833, President Andrew Jackson appointed Duane Secretary of the Treasury. Taking office during the dispute between President Jackson and Congress over the Bank of the United States, Duane refused to support Jackson by transferring government deposits from the Bank of the United States to state banks. Because of this disagreement, Duane held office for only a few months before resigning and returning to his law practice. Interested in higher education, he was a longtime Trustee of Girard College. Duane also authored several books, including 1844's "A View of the Relation of Landlord and Tenant in Pennsylvania", 1848's "Law of Roads, Highways, Bridges, and Ferries in Pennsylvania", and 1850's "Canada and the Continental Congress".
- Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jun 19 2019, 1:23:15 UTC
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William J. Duane, U.S. Sec'y of Treasury's Timeline
| 1780 |
May 9, 1780
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Colnmel, County Tipperary, Ireland
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| 1801 |
April 21, 1801
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| 1808 |
February 7, 1808
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Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
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| 1810 |
April 10, 1810
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Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
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| 1812 |
January 25, 1812
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Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
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| 1814 |
July 6, 1814
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Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
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| 1816 |
December 26, 1816
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Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
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| 1819 |
March 8, 1819
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Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
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| 1821 |
January 15, 1821
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Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
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