"This new biography of Albert Gallatin is especially welcome for the strong emphasis that it puts on the Geneva roots and education of Albert Gallatin, which he constantly applied in the service of America in later life."---Jacques de Saussure, senior managing partner, Pictet & Cie
"Dungan's exemplary new biography shows how much we owe to a European patrician who asked not what America could do for him, but what he could do for his adopted country."---Charles Scribner III, art historian and author of The Shadow of God: A Journey Through Memory, Art, and Faith
"In this elegant biography, Dungan charts the rise of Albert Gallatin from Congress to the Treasury to international affairs---and convincingly makes the case that Gallatin helped guide the United States to genuine independence by negotiating the end of the war of 1812."---Charles A. Kupchan, author of How Enemies Become Friends: The Sources of Stable Peace
"Many U.S. envoys to France have had distinguished careers, but none exceeded Albert Gallatin in his contribution to the United States. Nicholas Dungan gives Gallatin's diplomacy its well-deserved emphasis in this fast-paced biography of a great European-American."---Walter J. P. Curley, former United States ambassador to France and Ireland
"In this perceptive new life of Albert Gallatin, Nicholas Dungan rightly highlights Gallatin's later years as an intellectual and public figure in New York City."---Louise Mirrer, president, New-York Historical Society
"In domestic politics as in diplomacy and the private sector, Albert Gallatin is a compelling example of the contribution of the Swiss to American achievement Nicholas Dungan helps bring alive this oft-forgotten statesman."---Laurent M. Roux, founder, Gallatin Wealth Management
Your won't find his portrait on our currency and his signature isn't penned on the Constitution, but former statesman Albert Gallatin (1761-1849) contributed immeasurably to the formation of America.
Born in Geneva to an old and noble family and highly educated in the European tradition, Gallatin made contributions to America throughout his career that far outweighted any benefit he procured for himself. He got his first taste of politics in the Pennsylvania state legislature and went on to serve in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He became Secretary of the Treasury in the Jefferson Administration and later undertook a diplomatic mission for President Madison, which ended the War of 1812 with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent ---and thus gave the United States its genuine independence. Gallatin continued in diplomacy as minister to France and to Great Britain. At the age of seventy he retired from politics and commenced a new career in New York City as a banker, public figure, and intellectual, helping establish New York University and the American Ethnological Society, and serving as president of the New-York Historical Society. Gallatin died at age 88 and is buried in Manhattan's Trinity Churchyard at Broadway and Wall Street.
Industry Reviews
"Dungan's Book retraces in detail Gallatin's 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 Gallatin's 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 "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 Gallatin's 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 and to Ireland, 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." - Library Journal "Displaying Gallatin in his public and private dimensions, Dungan ably reacquaints history readers with the official who carried out Jefferson's policies." - Booklist
