Review of "Albert Gallatin: Diplomat," by G. J. Bryen III

Review of

Albert Gallatin: Diplomat, by G. J. Bryen III


Five out of five stars

 Even though this pamphlet is only 21 pages, it contains a solid synopsis of the life of Albert Gallatin, one of the major statesmen of the early United States. A confidant of most of the founding fathers, Gallatin served three presidents as Secretary of the Treasury and as American Minister to France and Great Britain (1801-1827) during a career of public service that was four decades long. Yet, Gallatin receives very little ink in the accounts of the early years.

 This booklet sets down at least a partial recounting of what was an extraordinary career. His tenure as Secretary of the Treasury spanned the years 1801-1814, in the years when Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were president. Thomas Jefferson himself said that Gallatin "is the only man in the United States who understands, through all the labyrinths Hamilton involved it, the precise state of the Treasury." It is one of those books that causes you to conduct an immediate search to learn more about this man that should be considered a second-generation founder/builder of the early United States.