James Albert Gary

James Albert Gary ( born October 22, 1833 in Montville, Connecticut, † October 31, 1920 in Baltimore, Maryland) was an American businessman and politician ( Republican), who belonged to the cabinet of President William McKinley as U.S. Postmaster General.

Career

Gary was a successful businessman in the field of cotton processing. At the same time he tried to take as a lifetime member of the Republican Party always in politics right, but most of his attempts failed for public office. So he ran unsuccessfully in 1858 for the first time for the Senate of Maryland. In 1870, he had in the election for U.S. House of Representatives again suffered a defeat, just two years later. The candidacy as governor of Maryland failed in 1879, this state was also clearly dominated at that time by the Democratic Party. Gary scored 42.3 percent of the vote and defeated Democrat William Thomas Hamilton ( 56.9 percent).

Within his party, Gary was a respected personality. He represented Maryland 1872-1896 for all Republican National Conventions; Moreover, he was a member from 1880 to 1896 the Republican National Committee. In 1883 he was chairman of the Republican in Maryland.

After the election of William McKinley as U.S. president of James Gary appointed as Postmaster General in his cabinet. He took office on March 5, 1897, but had put it already a year later on April 18 in 1898 down. This was due on one hand his ailing health; moreover, he wore the growing hostility to Spain not with that culminated in the war only a week starting after leaving Spanish - American War. Such was his tenure without notable achievements; in memory remained his proposal, a Postal Savings System ( Postal Savings Bank ) to launch, which some years later, his successor in office, Frank H. Hitchcock into reality.

After the end of his political career, Gary concentrated back to its business activities. He was Vice President of the Consolidated Gas Company and President of Citizens National Bank in Baltimore, where he died in October 1920 and was buried.