George Cortelyou held three cabinet positions in the Administrations of Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft. He was the nation’s first Secretary of Commerce and Labor, and went on to serve as the Postmaster General and the Secretary of the Treasury.
Early Life
George Cortelyou, who was born in New York City in 1862, graduated from the Westfield Normal School and Georgetown University Law School. He first worked as a stenographer and typist with the U.S. Customs service. After clerking in the postmaster general’s office, he became President Grover Cleveland’s stenographer. He later worked as President William McKinley’s personal secretary.
Political Career
George Cortelyou rose to prominence in the Roosevelt Administration, becoming one of the President’s most trusted advisors. At the President’s request, Cortelyou worked to “professionalize” the White House; most notably, he adopted a number of formal communication procedures with the press. After Congress established the Department of Commerce and Labor, Roosevelt named Cortelyou to lead the agency. Cortelyou resigned his post one year later to become chairman of the Republican National Committee and help secure Roosevelt’s reelection.
In his second term, Roosevelt named Cortelyou postmaster general, where he established the free rural mail delivery system. He left the position to become Secretary of the Treasury. The economic panic of 1907 took place during Cortelyou’s tenure. While he believed that the Treasury played an essential role in safeguarding the nation’s banking system, he acknowledged that it lacked the power to maintain economic stability. Accordingly, he supported the creation of a central banking system and increasing the money supply. In 1907, Congress passed Aldrich-Vreeland Act, which paved the way for the creation of the Federal Reserve System in 1913.
