Albert Gallatin

West Virginia University

Mountaineer Parent Club,
Northern Virginia Chapter

Albert Gallatin
by Jim Woolwine

Standing proudly beside the Treasury Building but lost in the swirling traffic is a statue honoring Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury in Thomas Jefferson’s Administration. This Swiss immigrant profoundly influenced the American republic during its formative years. His home, Friendship Hill Manor, in Point Marion, PA, is just north of Morgantown, WV.

Albert Gallatin arrived in Boston from Geneva, Switzerland in 1780; he was 19 years old, a gentleman, and an idealist. His timing was great; in the heady days following Independence he and a Frenchman were caught up in a series of speculative land deals in Western Virginia along the Ohio River that they bought then sold the for a hefty profit. Gallatin plowed his earnings back into more land, this time in Fayette County, PA, just north of Morgantown.

More the politician than a farmer, he became active in politics participating in conferences to revise the Articles of Confederation and in the drafting of the US Constitution. His first elective office was to the Pennsylvania state legislature. In 1791 Western Pennsylvania was terrorized by those opposed to an excise taxes on whiskey enacted by Alexander Hamilton -- The Whiskey Rebellion. Gallatin, believing the excise tax of dubious legality and~~but~~ protective of his economic interests, jumped in to calm the populace and encourage them to peaceably submit to the law. Many historians believe Gallatin’s actions avoided a civil war. His popularity established, he began a meteoric career in politics beginning with a seat in the US House of Representatives.

Albert Gallatin served as Secretary of Treasury longer than any other appointee (1801-1814). Once in office, he reduced the public debt, arranged the financing for the Louisiana Purchase, and assisted in underwriting Lewis and Clark’s expedition. True to his Swiss ancestry! Gallatin then entered diplomatic service; he was one of five commissioners who negotiated the Treaty of Ghent with Great Britain to end the War of 1812. He later served as Ambassador to France. Returning to Pennsylvania, Point Marion proved a bit too rustic for the Gallatin’s after seven years in Paris; they soon moved to New York City where Albert Gallatin was one of the founders of New York University and the New York Historical Society.

This is great history. As Keith Garbutt told us at our November Parent Club Meeting, the best way to attain 100% knowledge retention is by “…hearing, seeing, doing, smelling…” Relive these critical turning points in our nation’s past; take your WVU student to Point Marion one weekend to see which among you remembers more about these events in which Gallatin was the catalyst. Gallatin’s home in Point Marion was acquired by the National Park Service in 1979 and is open all year. Admission is free. Directions and information: (724) 329-5512 and on the web at www.nps.gov/frhi.

I would not leave you without a restaurant recommendation. Apple Annie’s, 28 Church Street, Point Marion, PA, is a family restaurant serving home style meals and desserts. It is open from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm daily. Have some creamed chicken and biscuits with that history. Mountaineer Country at its best.

WVU website WVU Mountaineers Parents' Club website