Illustrated history of the United States mint / with a complete description of American coinage, from the earliest period to the present time

by Unknown

WILLIAM E. DU BOIS.

Extract from an obituary notice by Robert Patterson.

(Read before the American Philosophical Society, November 18, 1881.)

William Ewing Du Bois was born at Doylestown, Pennsylvania, December 15, 1810. Through his father, Rev. Uriah Du Bois, he was descended from Louis Du Bois, a French Huguenot of honorable extraction, who emigrated to America in 1660, seeking freedom of religious worship, and, in connection with others of his countrymen, formed the settlement of New Paltz, Ulster County, New York. Through his mother, Martha Patterson, daughter of Professor Robert Patterson, of the University of Pennsylvania, he inherited the Scotch-Irish element which has exerted so marked an influence in the development of our country.

The father of Mr. Du Bois was a Presbyterian clergyman, in charge of churches in and near Doylestown, and was principal of the Union Academy at that place, a classical school then and afterwards of high reputation. He was greatly respected, both as preacher and teacher.

The bright and studious mind of Mr. Du Bois gathered every advantage from his opportunities, and he was well furnished in the classics and mathematics, and in English literature. While yet a boy he developed a freedom and capacity as a writer quite remarkable.

His oldest brother was an eminent member of the bar, and it seemed fitting that Mr. Du Bois should, under his guidance, adopt the law as his profession. He accordingly pursued the usual course, in the meantime aiding to support himself by literary work and conveyancing, and was admitted to practice in September, 1832. But his health failing him on account of a bronchial affection, he accepted an appointment in the Mint at Philadelphia, and thus began the life-work by which his reputation was established.

Mr. Du Bois entered the Mint in September, 1833, and was first employed in the office of the Director, Dr. Moore. In 1835, at the request of the Assayer, Mr. Jacob R. Eckfeldt, he was transferred to a more congenial position in the assay department. Here he continued for the remainder of his life. In 1836 he was appointed Assistant Assayer. In September, 1872, he succeeded Mr. Eckfeldt as Assayer, and remained at the head of the department until his death, July 14, 1881, thus completing nearly forty-eight years of Mint service.

Mr. Du Bois early took rank as an accomplished assayer, and long before his death had reached the head of his profession.

The close intimacy between Mr. Du Bois and Mr. Eckfeldt developed into warm friendship. The tie was made closer by the marriage of Mr. Du Bois, in 1840, to Susanna Eckfeldt, the sister of his chief. I shall have to speak of published works and scientific communications appearing under the names of Eckfeldt and Du Bois. Although it was understood that Mr. Du Bois was the sole literary author, yet no separate claim of authorship was made by either. Whatever of reputation was earned, each was contented that it might be shared by the other, and jealousy never for a moment weakened a union that bound them for life.

In the year 1834 a change took place in the ratio of gold to silver in the standard of U. S. coins, the effect of which was to bring large deposits of gold to the Mint. The coinage previously had been chiefly of silver. The more equal supply of the precious metals gave active employment in the assay of each of them, and was, of course, most valuable as an experience to Mr. Du Bois, who about this time became connected with the assay department.

In 1837, on revision of the Mint laws and standards brought about by Dr. Robert M. Patterson, then Director, a reform was effected in the method of reporting assays, the millesimal system taking the place of the time-honored but cumbrous method of carats and grains. About this time, also, the older plan of assaying silver was abandoned, the humid assay being substituted, and largely worked under the direct supervision of Mr. Du Bois.

About 1838 branch mints were organized in the States of Louisiana, Georgia, and North Carolina. The labors and responsibilities of the Philadelphia assay department were increased by this development, partly from the necessity of instructing assayers for the new branches, and partly in testing the correctness of the assays made there.

In 1848 the great discovery of gold in California was made known. This brought a tremendous pressure on every department of the Mint, and not the least on the assayers. The gold coinage was, in three years, raised from a little over three million dollars to more than sixty-two millions. The assays were often counted by hundreds in a day. But whatever the pressure in the office, accuracy ruled, and the correctness of the assays was never impeached.

In 1853 a change was effected in the law for providing subordinate silver coins. This brought about, for some years succeeding, an unprecedented coinage of that metal, and still further increased the labors of the assay department.

He instituted the Cabinet of coins which now adorns the Mint. This was commenced in 1838. A small annual appropriation was procured from Congress for this purpose, and the work of collection committed entirely to Mr. Du Bois. He brought to it all the enthusiasm which animates most numismatists, sobered, however, by good judgment. His expenditures were always judicious. Some of the best of the specimens were culled from the Mint deposits for the bullion value, merely, of the pieces. After the collection had taken good shape, and been well classified, he wrote and published, in 1846, a description of it, under the title “Pledges of History,” etc. The title thus selected intimated his opinion as to the real value of such collections. He thought that a coin should be prized for its historical teaching, or artistic merit, and discouraged the rage to possess a piece simply because of its rarity. Mr. Du Bois acted as curator of the Cabinet until his death.

Another important labor undertaken by Mr. Du Bois (in connection with Mr. Eckfeldt) was the preparation and publication, in 1842, of a “Manual of the Gold and Silver Coins of all nations, struck within the past century.” This was a work of very great labor, and, from its expense, of some risk also to the authors. It is admirably arranged, the information clear, and it embraced every subject of interest at that date as to coins, bullion, counterfeits, etc. Subsequently, in 1850 and 1851, supplements were published covering later topics, made prominent in consequence of the California gold discoveries.

The writings of Mr. Du Bois were numerous, and continued up to the year of his death. His papers on numismatics were frequent and always attractive, his last appearance in print being in April of this year, in an article on the “Coinage of the Popes.” To the “American Philosophical Society,” of which he was elected a member in 1844, he made various communications on behalf of Mr. Eckfeldt and himself, mostly on topics suggested by experiences in the assay department. Among the most curious was one on “The Natural Dissemination of Gold,” by which we were astonished to learn that this precious metal is found in appreciable quantity in the clays underlying our city.

In 1869 he wrote for the “Bankers’ Magazine,” “Propositions for a Revised System of Weights, and a Restoration of Silver Currency.” The development of his views on these subjects is a model of clear exposition, and the conclusions reached were such as might be expected from a mind aiming to attain practical results rather than to impose visionary theories.

From the beginning he was highly esteemed at the Mint. It was his ambition to acquire a knowledge of every branch of the service, and with his capacity and opportunities this end was attained. He early became the trusted friend and counsellor of his colleagues, and was able to serve them in many ways, perhaps most of all with his ready pen. As time passed, and forty-eight years of experience was given to him, he was recognized by all as the Nestor of the Mint service. And here I pause to draw a lesson, from the example of Mr. Du Bois’s life, as to the value of a properly organized civil service. In the department with which he was connected, political tests were never obtruded, and permanence of tenure followed on merit. On no other basis could his services have been claimed or retained. They would have been transferred to a private sphere, probably to his pecuniary gain, certainly to the public loss. He was very accessible, and ever ready to lend aid from the stores of his knowledge, but in particular did he delight to instruct and bring forward his younger friends.

Mr. Du Bois was able to fulfill his official duties until within a few months of his death. He was fully conscious of his approaching end, preserving his intelligence to the last, and the faith which had comforted him in this life supported him at its close.

The following minute was adopted at a meeting of the officers and employees after his decease:

“The remarkably close conformity of the United States coins to the standard assigned them by law, has been recognized by the highest Mint authorities of the world to be unsurpassed, if quite equalled, in its uniform exactness. The founding of such a reputation and its continuance during the last half-century, are largely due to the joint labors of the late Jacob R. Eckfeldt and William E. Du Bois.”