Charles G. Dawes

Charles Gates Dawes was born on August 27, 1865, in Marietta, Ohio. He received a public education and graduated from Marietta College in 1884. He earned a law degree from the Cincinnati Law School in 1886.

Upon graduating with his law degree, Dawes established a law practice in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was especially skilled in law dealing with public utilities and financial institutions. Because of Dawes's knowledge of banks and for his support of William McKinley in the presidential election of 1896, President McKinley, in 1898, appointed Dawes as Comptroller of the Currency for the United states Treasury Department.

In 1902, Dawes sought election to the United States Senate as a Republican from Illinois, but his bid proved to be unsuccessful. He returned to his law practice, but with World War I's outbreak, Dawes enlisted in the United States Army. He eventually attained the rank of brigadier-general. Upon the war's conclusion, Dawes resigned from the armed forces, and in 1921, he became the first director of the Bureau of the Budget. During the early 1920s, Dawes also served on the Allied Reparations Commission and helped Germany restore its economy. As a result of his efforts, Dawes received the Nobel Peace prize in 1925. In 1924, Republican Calvin Coolidge chose Dawes as his vice-presidential candidate. Coolidge and Dawes won the election of 1924, and Dawes served as vice president of the United States from 1925 to 1929.

In 1929, Dawes became the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, a position that he held until 1931. Upon his return to the United States, Dawes briefly served as chairman of President Herbert Hoover's Reconstruction Finance Corporation. In 1932, Dawes retired from politics and focused his interests on banking. He served as president of the City National Bank and Trust Company from 1932 until his death on April 23, 1951.