Description
Book SynopsisA compelling biography which reinserts this forgotten Founding Father into the historical canon and reveals the transatlantic dimensions of early American history
Trade ReviewDungan diligently enumerates the Genevan’s contributions to American society. It will be eye-opening for students of American history to discover that in the early days of the United States, a Swiss nobleman acting as Thomas Jefferson’s secretary of the treasury managed the budget to create sizable surplus...[T]he book succeeds admirably in remembering a key figure in early American diplomacy, education, and financial regulation. * Publishers Weekly *
Albert Gallatin was a significant political figure in the early republic, most prominently as Jefferson’s and Madison’s treasury secretary, and his name graces a river, a national forest, towns, and counties but not any recent general-interest biography: extant titles are decades or, in the case of one by Henry Adams, more than a century old. Displaying Gallatin in his public and private dimensions, Dungan ably reacquaints history readers with the official who carried out Jefferson’s policies. * Booklist *
With the feverish rhetoric of anti-immigration and isolationist views present in todays politics, it is important to be reminded of the contribution of non-native Americans. Nicholas Dungan has written the definitive biography of one such non-native immigrant who spoke with an accent and was educated abroad. Albert Gallatin (1761-1849) left a lasting imprint on our nations history. However, Dungan finds that as a foreigner, his name has fallen into obscurity in the American psyche. In Gallatin: Americas Swiss Founding Father, Dungan masterfully retraces the life of man whose image or name is commonly not recognized. * Purepolitics.com *
Dungans Book retraces in detail Gallatins family history in Geneva as well as his subsequent career in the United States, using his private correspondence to highlight his shifting perspectives on ongoing events. Published on the 250th anniversary of Gallatins birth, his biography is clearly designed a belated official tribute, providing a useful ground for any further scholarly research on the subject; it does moreover offer an interesting example of how modern representative regimes took shape from the constant confrontation of the different national traditions. -- Biancamaria Fontana * Times Literary Supplement *
Dungan gives good reason to believe his label as Gallatin as 'America's Swiss founding father,' through his concise history of the period and convincing understanding of Gallatin's major role in the establishment of the United States as an independant and respected country. * St. Paul's School, Alumni Horae *
At the close of his biography Gallatin, Americas Swiss Founding Father, Nicholas Dungan asks the rhetorical question: 'Was Gallatin a Great Man?' To which, anyone having read the book, would have to answer with an unequivocal and resounding Yes!... Dungans biography of Gallatin should not be missed. -- Martin * What Would Founding Fathers Think? *
In this balanced and perceptive new life of Albert Gallatin, it is a delight to find that Nicholas Dungan gives ample attention to Gallatin’s later years as an intellectual and participant in the public life of New York City. -- Dr. Louise Mirrer,President and Chief Executive Officer, New-York Historical Society
In this elegant biography, Dungan charts the rise of Albert Gallatin from Congress to the Treasury to the world of diplomacy. Dungan convincingly makes the case that Gallatins crowning achievement was his central role in the delegation that negotiated the Treaty of Ghent, which brought an end to the War of 1812. Gallatin thus helped guide the United States to genuine independence and to the peace and prosperity enjoyed by the strengthening and expanding union. -- Charles A. Kupchan,professor of international relations at Georgetown University, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and author of How Enemies Become Friends: The Sources of Stable Peace
Many U.S. envoys to France have had distinguished careers in public service and the private sector, but none excelled Albert Gallatin in the breadth of his experience or the scope of his contribution to the United States. Nicholas Dungan gives Gallatin’s role as an outstanding diplomat its well-deserved emphasis in this fast-paced, in-depth biography of a great European-American. -- Walter J. P. Curley,United States Ambassador to France (1989-1993) and to Ireland (1975-1978), Honorary Chairman of the French-American Foundation
“Dungan (former president, French-American Fdn.) provides a valuable service by writing a short, balanced overview of the life and career of one of the most important and most neglected leaders of the early American Republic... Dungan’s book makes excellent use of the Gallatin papers housed at the New-York Historical Society. * Library Journal *
Table of ContentsForeword: Gallatin in Diplomacy, by Micheline Calmy-ReyForeword: Gallatin in Finance, by Philipp M. Hildebrand Acknowledgments Introduction: Getting to Know Gallatin1 A Son of Geneva, 1761-1780 2 American Beginnings, 1780-17933 The Senate and the House, 1793-1801 4 Jefferson's Secretary of the Treasury, 1801-1809 5 Madison's Secretary of the Treasury, 1809-1813 6 The Debut of a Diplomatist, 1813-1815 7 American Minister to France, 1816-1823 8 Searching for Stability, 1823-1829 9 The Capstones of a Career, 1830-1849 Conclusion: Gauging Gallatin's Greatness Notes A Note on Sources Bibliography Index About the Author
