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History of the Treasury
Secretaries of the Treasury
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William H. Crawford
(1816 - 1825)
In the Senate, where he served from 1807 to 1813, William
H. Crawford (1772-1834) distinguished himself as an advocate of conservative
public finance, promoting an extension of the charter of the First Bank
of the United States in 1811.  President Madison appointed him Secretary
of the Treasury as the Second Bank of the United States was established,
and he continued under President James Monroe. Crawford took over a Department
still in fiscal confusion resulting from the poorly financed War of 1812.
With the goal of organizing the nation's bookkeeping,
he initiated the Reform Bill of 1817, which placed with the Treasury Department
the responsibility for settling the financial accounts of all the federal
departments. The structure of the Treasury Department was subsequently
altered to accommodate its increased duties. During his secretaryship,
Crawford also oversaw extensive improvements to the nation's infrastructure,
including the initiation of coastal fortifications and the construction
of the great westward leading Cumberland Road. In 1825 Crawford refused
President John Quincy Adams's offer to continue as Secretary, citing important
differences in their views, and resigned at the end of Monroe's term.
About the Artist
Henry Ulke was born in Frankenstein, Germany in 1821
and received his early art education with Professor Wach, the court painter
at Berlin. Ulke immigrated to New York in 1852 where he worked as an illustrator
and designer on such magazines as Harper's and Leslie's weeklies. He moved
to Washington, D.C. in 1860 and set up a studio for photography and painting
at 434 Pennsylvania Avenue, soon attaining such a favorable reputation
in political circles that he was titled "Painter of the Presidents." His
portrait of William Crawford, executed in 1879, was based on previous
life portraits of the Secretary by Asher B. Durand and John Wesley Jarvis.
Office of the Curator
All rights reserved. 2001
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