Charles D. Norton
Charles Dyer Norton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Oshkosh, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | March 6, 1923 (aged 51) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, government official |
| Known for | United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury; Secretary to President William Howard Taft |
Charles Dyer Norton (March 12, 1871 – March 6, 1923) was an American financier who held the positions of United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary to President William Howard Taft.
Early life
Born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Norton was the son of Rev. Franklin Burroughs Norton and Harriet Arvilla (née Dyer) Norton. Through his maternal lineage, he was a descendant of Mary Dyer, a noted Quaker martyr, as well as Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island. He completed his education at Amherst College in 1893, following in the footsteps of his father, who graduated there in 1856.
Career
Norton initially spent several years working with Scribner's Magazine before transitioning to the Northwest Mutual Life Insurance Company, where he rose to the role of general agent in Chicago. In 1909, he departed from Northwest Mutual to assume the role of Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under President Taft’s Secretary Franklin MacVeagh, taking over from Louis A. Coolidge. A year later, Norton left the Treasury Department to serve as Secretary to President Taft. During his tenure, he established the Commission on Economy and Efficiency, pioneering budget-based government financial planning. After one year in this capacity, Charles D. Hilles succeeded him.
In 1911, Norton was appointed Vice President of the First National Bank of New York (which later became Citibank), filling the position vacated by Thomas W. Lamont who joined J. P. Morgan & Co.. He stepped down from this vice presidency in 1918 to become president of the First Security Company, succeeding George Fisher Baker.
Beyond banking, Norton held executive roles including president of both the Coal and Coke Railway Company and the New Gauley Coal Corporation. He also served as vice president of West Virginia Coal and Coke Company and was a trustee for Adams Express Company. Additionally, he acted as director for various organizations such as American Railway Express Company, Equitable Life Assurance Society, Montgomery Ward & Co., Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Coal Co., and American Telephone and Telegraph Company.
Philanthropy and volunteer efforts
During his tenure at the Treasury, Norton contributed as a member of the Executive Committee and Treasurer for the American Red Cross. In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson appointed him to serve on the Red Cross War Council responsible for managing wartime activities. He also held trusteeships with the Russell Sage Foundation and chaired committees for institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Academy in Rome. Furthermore, he acted as trustee and treasurer for the American Federation of Arts.
Personal life
In 1897, Norton married Katherine McKim Garrison (1873–1948) from Llewellyn Park, New Jersey. She was the daughter of editor Wendell Phillips Garrison and poet Lucy McKim Garrison, granddaughter of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, and related to railroad magnate Henry Villard and architect Charles Follen McKim. Together they had three children:
- Garrison Norton (1900–1995), who served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy and married Emily McMullan.
- Lucia Garrison Norton (1902–1992), who wed Alan C. Valentine in 1928.
- Charles McKim Norton (1907–1991), who married pianist Martha Chipman Hutcheson in 1939.
Norton passed away due to complications from influenza on March 6, 1923, at his residence in New York City. At that time, his eldest son was completing his senior year at Harvard University; his daughter was a senior at Smith College; and his youngest son attended Groton School. He was interred at Rosedale Cemetery in New Jersey. His widow remained unmarried until her death in 1948.