Albert Gallatin
Point Marion, Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Jeffersonian diplomat, financier, and statesman, Gallatin was the longest serving US Secretary of the Treasury, 1801 to 1814. As such, he facilitated the Lewis and Clark Expedition, successfully reduced the national debt until the War of 1812, and helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war. In the 1790s he was instrumental in calming the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pa. Friendship Hill, his home for many years, is nearby.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Albert Gallatin was one of the young republic's most consequential statesmen, serving as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1801 to 1814—still the longest tenure in the office's history. He funded the Lewis and Clark Expedition, worked steadily to reduce the national debt, and helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent that ended the War of 1812. In the 1790s his moderating influence helped defuse western Pennsylvania's Whiskey Rebellion, and his home, Friendship Hill, stands nearby.
Why it matters
Gallatin embodied the immigrant statesman who helped stabilize the finances and expand the horizons of a fragile new nation.
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Related people
- · Albert Gallatin
- · Meriwether Lewis
- · William Clark
Related events
- · Whiskey Rebellion
- · Lewis and Clark Expedition
- · Treaty of Ghent
Themes & tags
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