Proposed As U.S. Secretary of The Treasury
In March 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant offered Stewart the position of Secretary of the Treasury (after Joseph Seligman had declined it), but he was not confirmed by the United States Senate. One source reports that a major impediment to Stewart's appointment was a provision in the act of September 2, 1789, which established the Treasury Department. This law provided that the Treasury Department, having the administration of the custom houses under its control, should not have at its head a merchant or importer in active business. Although Grant requested the two houses of Congress to override this provision, upon the objection of Charles Sumner this request was not considered in the Senate. Another source attributes Stewart's rejection to his close association with Judge Henry Hilton, his wife's cousin's husband and a member of the corrupt Tweed Ring.
Read more about this topic: Alexander Turney Stewart
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