An Annotated Bibliography
by Ron Duquette
Albert Gallatin - His Life and Time
In his day, Albert Gallatin was among the better-known political figures; but since his death in 1849, he has been all but forgotten, except for specialists and enthusiasts. Here we offer some thoughts about research material which may be useful for the general reader, as well as those more specialized in their interests.
Life
Unlike Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and even (recently) Madison and Hamilton, there are few general "life of Gallatin" books - four in English, to be exact.
- The first, and still considered to be the premier, is Henry Adams' 1879 biography, "The Life of Albert Gallatin" (J. B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia, PA, 1880; reprinted by Hardpress Publishing, Miami, FL, undated; ISBN 9781407657493) considered to be the first "scientific" biography, in that it referred itself to primary, as opposed to secondary, sources. It is available from Amazon (as are the rest of the books in this section). This is an "official" biography, in that the vast majority of its emphasis is on the political, financial, and diplomatic work of Gallatin, and is taken primarily from his official letters. There is, by contrast, relatively little personal exploration.
- Next is John Austin Stevens' "The Jeffersonian Democracy - Albert Gallatin" (Houghton, Mifflin and Company, Boston and New York, 1899; Vol. XIII of 32 of the "American Statesmen" series, ed. John T. Morse, Jr.). This is a very dense, exhaustive study of Gallatin, and is particularly useful for the specifics of various actions while he was in the Treasury. It is dated in its language and its approach, and can sometimes be a challenge to read - this is good bedtime stuff.
- Raymond Walters, Jr.'s "Albert Gallatin - Jeffersonian Financier and Diplomat" (The Macmillan Company, New York, 1957) is probably the most readable and useful overall biography. While there may be advances in thinking about the specific issues with which Gallatin had to wrestle during his service to the country, it is still a highly recommended source.
- The most current is Nicholas Dungan's "Gallatin - America's Swiss Founding Father" (New York and London, New York University Press, 2010). It is highly readable, short, concise, and very much to the point - and is an excellent starting point for not only Gallatin's life, but also his work.
There are two other, shorter biographies. One is "Albert Gallatin" (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1879; reprinted by Forgotten Books, 2012) by Henry Cabot Lodge, a close friend of Henry Adams. This is really nothing more than an outline - what its provenance is, I haven't been able to discover yet.
The last was originally written in German by Benedict von Tscharner: "Albert Gallatin (1761-1849): Geneva's American Statesman" (editions Infolio & Editions de Penthes, Geneva, Switzerland, 2008; trans. Caterina Pierre). Although the language is occasionally stilted (a danger in a translation), it is nonetheless a worthy short overview of Gallatin's life, times, and work. This is part of a larger series of "The Swiss Abroad," biographies of Swiss who found significant lives in other parts of the world than in the relatively narrow confines of the Helvetic Confederation itself.
Finances and the Treasury
There is little question that, to understand Gallatin's most significant contributions to our country, one must grasp at least the broad outlines of his fiscal and economic theories. Though not a theoretician, Gallatin was nonetheless someone who had given a considerable degree of hard and careful thought about how a government should go about financing and managing the economy of his adopted home throughout his life, especially in contradistinction from his only great opponent in this area, Alexander Hamilton.
On the other hand, for a generalist this can be a singularly daunting task. Thus, I recommend two general studies foremost:
- "The Founders and Finance" by Thomas K. McCraw (The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2012)
- Robert E. Wright and David J. Cowen's "Financial Founding Fathers - The Men Who Made America Rich" (The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, 2006).
The first and second parts of McCraw's books are financial and policy "biographies" (for lack of a better word) of both Hamilton and Gallatin. This allows a ready comparison of their differences (and surprising similarities) in financial matters for the nation.
Wright and Cowens', though shorter in length, place both Hamilton and Gallatin within their temporal framework in comparison and contrast with eight other significant figures in matters of national finance.
There are also more specialized studies available, the first two by Gallatin himself:
- "A sketch of the finances of the United States" (W. A. Davis, New York, 1796; reprinted by ECCO Print Editions)
- "Views of the public debt, receipts & expenditures of the United States" (M. L. & W. A. Davis, New York, 1800; reprinted by ECCO Print Editions)
- L B. Kuppenheimer's "Albert Gallatin's Vision of Democratic Stability - An Interpretive Profile" (Praeger Publishers, Westport, CT, 1996)
The first two are most important for providing snapshots of Gallatin's economic and financial thought at specific moments.
The first was prepared while he is in opposition to the policies of Alexander Hamilton as a member of the Fourth Congress and the voice of the Jefferson's Democrat-Republicans in matters of finance.
The second was written shortly before he is to assume the Treasury himself, less than a year after its publication, and as an indicator of his emphases that he plans for the finances of the United States.
The last of the three is a highly sympathetic overview of not only Gallatin's contributions to the financial position of the United States in the early Republic, but also his contributions in the field of diplomacy, and how this pragmatic, yet idealistic, man was able to remain faithful to himself and to his vision on how to serve his adopted country.