George S. Boutwell

George Boutwell
United States Senator from Massachusetts
In office March 17, 1873 – March 3, 1877
Preceded by	Henry Wilson
Succeeded by	George Hoar
28th United States Secretary of the Treasury
In office March 12, 1869 – March 16, 1873
President	Ulysses S. Grant
Preceded by	Hugh McCulloch
Succeeded by	William Richardson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 7th district
In office March 4, 1863 – March 12, 1869
Preceded by	Daniel W. Gooch
Succeeded by	George M. Brooks
1st Commissioner of Internal Revenue
In office July 17, 1862 – March 4, 1863
President	Abraham Lincoln
Preceded by	position established
Succeeded by	Joseph J. Lewis
20th Governor of Massachusetts
In office January 11, 1851 – January 14, 1853
Lieutenant	Henry W. Cushman
Preceded by	George N. Briggs
Succeeded by	John H. Clifford
Personal details
Born	George Sewall Boutwell (1818-01-28)January 28, 1818 Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	February 27, 1905(1905-02-27) (aged 87) Groton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (Before 1855) Republican (1855–1898)
Spouse	Sarah Thayer
Signature

George Sewall Boutwell (January 28, 1818 – February 27, 1905) was an American politician, lawyer, and statesman from Massachusetts. He served as Secretary of the Treasury under U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, the 20th Governor of Massachusetts, a Senator and Representative from Massachusetts and the first Commissioner of Internal Revenue under President Abraham Lincoln. He was a leader in the impeachment of U.S. President Andrew Johnson, and served as a House manager (prosecutor) in the impeachment trial.

Boutwell, an abolitionist, is primarily known for his leadership in the formation of the Republican Party, and his championship of African American citizenship and suffrage rights during Reconstruction. As U.S. Representative, he was instrumental in the construction and passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. As Secretary of Treasury, he made needed reforms in the Treasury Department after the chaos of the American Civil War and the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson. He controversially reduced the national debt by selling Treasury gold and using greenbacks to buy up Treasury bonds, a process that created a cash shortage. Boutwell and President Grant thwarted an attempt to corner the gold market in September 1869 by releasing $4,000,000 (~$81.4 million in 2023) of gold into the economy. As U.S. Senator, Boutwell sponsored the Civil Rights Act of 1875 and was chair of a Senate select committee investigating white supremacist violence against Black citizens and their white Republican Party supporters during the 1875 Mississippi state election campaign.

In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed Boutwell commissioner to codify the Revised Statutes of the United States and in 1880 to serve as United States counsel before the French and American Claims Commission. He also practiced international law in other diplomatic fora. At the turn of the 20th century, he abandoned the Republican Party, opposed the acquisition of the Philippines, and supported William Jennings Bryan for president.