Charles S. Fairchild

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Portrait of Charles S. Fairchild in the US Treasury Department

Charles Stebbins Fairchild (born April 30, 1842 in Cazenovia , Madison County , New York , † November 24, 1924 there ) was an American businessman, Democratic politician and Treasury Secretary .

Studies and professional career

The son of a lawyer and later delegate to the Democratic National Convention first studied at Harvard College, which he finished in 1863. He then studied law at the Law School of Harvard University , which he graduated in 1865. After his admission to the bar, he first worked in his father's law firm in Albany .

Political career

Attorney General of New York

In 1874 he became the Assistant Attorney General of New York. In this position he quickly gained a reputation as a corruption investigator. The then governor Samuel J. Tilden was so impressed by the success of the young lawyer that he pushed for his nomination as Attorney General of New York in 1875 . Fairchild was actually elected and served as the state attorney general from 1875 to 1877. He then went back to work as a lawyer.

Treasury Secretary under Cleveland

At the request of his personal friend and Treasury Secretary Daniel Manning , President Grover Cleveland appointed him Assistant Secretary of the Treasury on March 8, 1885. In the following years he increasingly took on the official business for the sick Manning. In particular, he implemented a necessary reform of the Ministry of Finance.

After Manning resigned on March 31, 1887 due to deteriorating health, President Cleveland appointed him to succeed him. During his tenure, among other things, he implemented a tariff reform. After the defeat of President Cleveland in the presidential election in 1888 , he left office on March 3, 1889.

After retiring from political life, he was President of the New York Security and Trust Company until 1904 . He was also director and president of railway companies.

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