Charles J. Folger
| Charles J. Folger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 34th United States Secretary of the Treasury | |
| In office November 14, 1881 – September 4, 1884 | |
| President | Chester A. Arthur |
| Preceded by | William Windom |
| Succeeded by | Walter Q. Gresham |
| Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals | |
| In office May 20, 1880 – November 14, 1881 | |
| Preceded by | Sanford E. Church |
| Succeeded by | Charles Andrews |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 16, 1818 Nantucket, Massachusetts |
| Died | September 4, 1884 (aged 66) Geneva, New York |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Rebecca Worth |
Charles James Folger (April 16, 1818 – September 4, 1884) was an American lawyer and politician. He was U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1881 until his death.
Early life
Folger was born on the island of Nantucket in 1818. When he was 12 years old, his family moved to Geneva, New York. He attended Hobart College and graduated with honors in 1836. After his graduation, he studied law with Mark H. Sibley and Alvah Worden in Canandaigua, N.Y. and was admitted to the bar three years later in 1839. He began his practice in Lyons, N.Y., but returned to Geneva in 1840, where he remained for the rest of his life. On June 18, 1844, he married Susan Rebecca Worth.
Public Life
In 1844, Folger was appointed to the bench of the Ontario County Court of Common Pleas, serving for about a year.
As a Republican, he was a member of the New York State Senate (26th D.) from 1862 to 1869, sitting in the 85th, 86th, 87th, 88th, 89th, 90th, 91st and 92nd New York State Legislatures. During his term he served as President pro tempore for four years and as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Folger served as a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1867–68, and as a delegate to the 1868 Republican National Convention.
In 1869, he resigned from the State Senate when he was appointed Assistant United States Treasurer in New York City by President Ulysses S. Grant.
A year later, in 1870, he was elected one of the first judges of the re-organized New York Court of Appeals. Following the death of Sanford E. Church, Folger was appointed Chief Judge by Governor Alonzo B. Cornell on May 20, 1880, to fill the vacancy temporarily. In November he was elected to a full 14-year term as Chief Judge.
In 1881, President James Garfield offered him the position of Attorney General, which he declined. Later that year, however, he resigned from the bench to accept an appointment by President Chester Arthur to serve as Secretary of the Treasury. In 1883 he appointed Mifflin E. Bell to the Office of the Supervising Architect.
Gubernatorial Race
As a sitting U.S. Secretary, he ran in 1882 for Governor of New York, but was defeated by Democrat Grover Cleveland.
Death
Folger died in office on September 4, 1884 at his home on Main Street in Geneva, NY. He was buried at Glenwood Cemetery, Geneva, at the side of his wife who had died seven years earlier.
The C.J. Folger Hook & Ladder Co. #1 of the Geneva Fire Department is named in his honor.
Sources
- Political Graveyard
- Appointed Secretary of the Treasury, in NYT on October 28, 1881, with short bio
- Obit in NYT on September 5, 1884
- The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (page 362; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
- Charles J. Folger at Find a Grave
| New York State Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Hillhouse |
New York State Senate 26th District 1862–1869 |
Succeeded by Abraham V. Harpending |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by Sanford E. Church |
Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals 1880–1881 |
Succeeded by Charles Andrews |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by William Windom |
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Served under: Chester A. Arthur 1881–1884 |
Succeeded by Walter Q. Gresham |
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