Among our leading statesmen were Hamilton, Calhoun, Webster, Jefferson Davis, Scot-Welsh ... James Blaine, Chauncey Depew, Stephen Douglas, mainly Scots ... Patrick Henry, Scot-English-Welsh ... leading civil service and tariff reformer was Carl Schurz, German ... iron puddler who became Secretary of Labor, James J. Davis, Welsh.
First governors: of Delaware, John McKinley; Georgia, John Houston; Illinois, John Boyle; Kansas, James Denver; Louisiana, Wm. Claiborne, Irish or Scotch-Irish ... present governor of New York, H. H. Lehman, German Jew; of Illinois, Henry Horner, German Jew ... first governor general of Florida, Bouquet, Swiss ... first president of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston, Scot.
Tammany Society, founded in 1789 by William Mooney, Irish, as protest against attempt of wealthy Tories to prevent soldiers and others from voting ... first Secretary of Treasury under Jefferson, responsible for arranging Louisiana Purchase, was Albert Gallatin, Swiss ... first to fight for conservation of our forests was Carl Schurz, German.
Philanthropy
Astor Library, now part of New York Library, founded by John Jacob Astor, German, in 1848 ... 4,000 Negro schools founded by Julius Rosenwald, German Jew ... Chautauqua movement begun by Lewis Miller, German ... gifts during panic of the 90’s, penny meals during World War, foodships to Palestine, and Milk Fund by Nathan Straus, Austrian Jew ... $42,000,000 gift to General Education Board by John D. Rockefeller, German.
Libraries founded throughout United States by Andrew Carnegie, Scot ... funds raised to bring Statue of Liberty from France by Joseph Pulitzer, Hungarian Jew ... appreciation of arts and literature stimulated by Edward Bok, Netherlander ... Boy Scouts of America helped by Jacob and Mortimer Schiff, German Jews ... $6,000,000 to Princeton University by H. C. Frick, German.
Colgate University founded by Wm. Colgate, English ... $122,000 to Fisk University by James Burrus, Negro ... foundations for opportunities to study abroad and to promote well-being of mankind established by Simon and Daniel Guggenheim, Swiss Jews.
Champions of Human Liberty
Protest against slavery by Pastorius, German ... author of “Common Sense,” “The Crisis” and “Public Good” was Thomas Paine, English ... powerful leaders against slavery were John Russworm, Benjamin Banneker, David Walker, Harriet Tubman, William Brown, William Still, Samuel Ward, Frederick Douglass, Negroes.