Katherine D. Ortega - U.S. Treasurer

U.S. Treasurer

Ortega was sworn in on October 3, 1983 (however, she is listed by the Treasury Department as having begun her term on September 26). She was the tenth woman and the second Hispanic to hold the office. At her swearing-in ceremony, three previous U.S. Treasurers attended: Francine Irving Neff, Bañuelos, and her immediate predecssor, Bay Buchanan.

While Treasurer, Ortega oversaw a $220 million budget, raised $40 million toward the restoration of the Statue of Liberty, and helped to design a new currency to aid in preventing counterfeiting. She also spearheaded the effort to have the West Point Bullion Depository designated as an official United States Mint.

Although soft-spoken in personal conversation, Ortega became known for her rhetorical speaking skills in public. "Her low-key authenticity works magic with an audience," one Treasury Department official is quoted as saying. In 1984, she was chosen to be the keynote speaker at that year's Republican National Convention- the first Hispanic woman to deliver the lead speech at a national convention. This was done in part to counter the selection of prominent New York governor Mario Cuomo at the Democratic National Convention.

As the highest-ranking Hispanic (until the appointment of Lauro Cavazos as Secretary of Education in 1988) and one of only a few high-profile women in the Administration combined with the largely ceremonial nature of the Treasurer's office, Ortega was one of the key personnel utilized by the White House in outreach to both the Hispanic community and women's organizations. In 1984 alone, she logged almost 60,000 miles in appearances before Republican and Hispanic groups.

In 1986, Ortega conducted a study that rejected the idea of changing the colors of $50 and $100 denomination bills in order to frustrate counterfeiters and drug lords with large amounts of such type of cash. This idea would later be partially incorporated into U.S. currency during subsequent administrations.

After Reagan left office, Ortega was retained by the George H. W. Bush administration and reappointed to her post on January 20, 1989. She retired from the office in July and returned to her family firm in New Mexico.