George B. Cortelyou
George Bruce Cortelyou ( born July 26, 1862 in New York City; † October 23, 1940 on Long Iceland, New York) was an American Republican politician, Trade and Labor Minister, Postmaster ( Postmaster General ) and Finance.
Study and career
After school he first completed a teacher studies at Westfield State College, which he finished in 1882 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA). This was followed by a study of law at Georgetown University and George Washington University. After graduation, he worked as a teacher.
In 1891 he joined the Post Inspection Service (U.S. Postal Inspection Service ) and was the first one years secretary of the chief postal inspector of New York. In 1892 he was appointed secretary of the 4th Deputy Postmaster General in Washington.
Political career
Secretary of Presidents McKinley and Roosevelt
In 1895 he was at the suggestion of the Postmaster-General Wilson S. Bissell office manager and stenographer of the then U.S. President Grover Cleveland.
After the end of the term of office of Cleveland in 1897 recommended him this turn, his successor William McKinley as Deputy Secretary. In 1900 he was personal secretary to the president. When McKinley was assassinated on September 6, 1901, he succumbed to his injuries a week later, Cortelyou was immediately present and was assigned even with the Ceremony for the presentation news of the attempt on the First Lady Ida McKinley by the President.
Under McKinley's successor as President, the former Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, he was also his personal secretary. However, he was far more than merely personal secretary, but rather one of the President's closest and most important advisor. So Roosevelt commissioned the development of a more professional way of working in the White House. Under his responsibility In particular there was a scheme of the protocol and to improve public relations by providing a dedicated work space for journalists, short press releases and a compilation of important press news for the president.
Commercial, labor and Postmaster General under President Roosevelt
On February 18, 1903, President Roosevelt appointed him as the first trade and labor minister in his cabinet. This office he held until his replacement by Victor H. Metcalf on 30 June 1904.
Between 1904 and 1907 he was chairman of the Republican National Committee and thereby contributed also to the successful re-election of President Roosevelt in 1904.
On 6 March 1905 he was himself Postmaster ( Postmaster General ), replacing Robert J. Wynne. This office he held until January 15, 1907. Successor was George of Lengerke Meyer. During his tenure he built from the local postal network and reduced the deficit of the Post Ministry dramatically.
Treasury under Roosevelt
He was then on March 4, 1907 as the successor of LM Shaw Minister of Finance.
During his tenure, it was during the year 1907 to a severe financial crisis. Like his predecessor, he also was of the view that the task of the Minister of Finance is to protect the banking system. On the other hand, he had to acknowledge that the Treasury was not equipped to maintain economic stability. However, he succeeded to mitigate the financial crisis through the creation of large deposits of government funds in state banks and the purchase of government bonds. In order to cope with future crises better, Cortelyou argued for a more flexible monetary policy and the establishment of a central bank. His tenure was the 1907 passage of the Aldrich - Vreeland Act, which provided for the issuance of a special currency in times of crisis as well as the establishment of a National Currency Commission ( Monetary Commission ) establishing the Central Bank.
After the end of the term of President Roosevelt on March 4, 1909, he moved to the private sector and was most recently President of the Consolidated Gas Company, and the New York Gas Company.
During the Second World War, the cargo ship USS Cetus (AK -77 ) was named after him on 21 November 1942.