Christopher Gustavus Memminger (german: link=no, Christoph Gustav Memminger, translit=Christopher Gustavus Memminger; January 9, 1803 – March 7, 1888) was a German-born American politician and a secessionist who participated in the formation of the

Confederate States The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

government. He was the principal author of the Provisional Constitution (1861) as well as the founder of the Confederate financial system. As the first

Confederate States Secretary of the Treasury The Confederate States Secretary of the Treasury was the head of the Confederate States Department of the Treasury. Three men served in this post throughout the Confederacy's brief existence from 1861 to 1865. List of Secretaries of the Treasury ...

, Memminger was the main author of the economic policies of

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as ...

's administration.

Early life and career

Christopher Gustavus Memminger was born on January 9, 1803, in Vaihingen, Wuerttemberg (present-day

Stuttgart-Vaihingen Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the Sw ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

). His father, Gottfried Memminger, was a military

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

who died a month after his son's birth. His mother, Eberhardina (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Kohler) Memminger, immigrated to

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, but died of

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

in 1807. Christopher was placed in an orphanage. His fortunes changed when, at the age of eleven, he was taken under the care of Thomas Bennett, a prominent lawyer and future Governor. He entered South Carolina College at the age of 12 and graduated second in his class at 16. Memminger passed the bar in 1825 and became a successful lawyer. He married Mary Withers Wilkinson in 1832. He was a leader of the opponents during the Nullification Crisis. He published ''The Book of Nullification'' (1832–33) which satirized the advocates of the doctrine in biblical style. He entered state politics and served in the

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

state legislature from 1836 to 1852 and 1854 to 1860, where for nearly twenty years he was the head of the finance committee. Memminger was a staunch advocate of education and helped give Charleston one of the most comprehensive public school systems in the country. In 1859, after John Brown's raid, he was commissioned by

to consult with other delegates in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

as to the best method of warding off attacks of

abolitionists Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

American Civil War

Memminger was considered a moderate on the

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics l ...

issue, but after the election of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

, decided that secession was necessary. Memminger owned 12 slaves, which were listed in his estate in the Charleston, South Carolina, census of 1850, six of them being males. His estate was in Henderson County, North Carolina, where he built his Connemara summer home). When South Carolina seceded from the United States in 1860, Memminger was asked to write the ''

Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union The South Carolina Declaration of Secession, formally known as the Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union, was a proclamation issued on December 24, 1860, by the governm ...

'', which outlined the reasons for secession. When other states also seceded, he was selected as a South Carolina delegate to the

Provisional Congress of the Confederate States The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States, also known as the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America, was a congress of Deputy (legislator), deputies and Delegate (American politics), delegates called together from th ...

and was the chairman of the committee which drafted the Provisional Constitution of the Confederate States. The twelve-man committee produced a provisional constitution in only four days. When

formed his first cabinet, Memminger was chosen as Secretary of the Treasury on February 21, 1861. It was a difficult task in view of the financial challenges facing the Confederacy. He attempted to finance the government initially by bonds and tariffs (and the confiscation of gold from the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

), but he soon found himself forced to more extreme measures such as

income taxes An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Ta ...

and

fiat currency Fiat money (from la, fiat, "let it be done") is a type of currency that is not backed by any commodity such as gold or silver. It is typically designated by the issuing government to be legal tender. Throughout history, fiat money was some ...

. He had been a supporter of

hard currency In macroeconomics, hard currency, safe-haven currency, or strong currency is any globally traded currency that serves as a reliable and stable store of value. Factors contributing to a currency's ''hard'' status might include the stability and ...

before the war but found himself issuing increasingly-devalued paper money, which had become worth less than 2% of its face value in gold by the end of the war.

Later life

Memminger resigned his post as Secretary of the Treasury on July 1, 1864 and was replaced by fellow South Carolinian G. A. Trenholm. He returned to his summer residence in Flat Rock, North Carolina. In the post-war years, he returned to Charleston, received a presidential pardon in 1866, and returned to private law practice and business investment. He also continued his work on developing South Carolina's public education system and was voted to a final term in the state legislature in 1877. he died at age 85 in Charleston South Carolina

Notable works

Honors

Christopher Memminger was featured on the Confederate $5.00 bill. CSA-T33-$5-1862.jpg, Memminger on the 1862 CS$5

banknote A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable instrument, negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes w ...

Notes

References

* * *

External links

; Official
C. G. Memminger Papers
at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

; General information *
Christopher Memminger
at The Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org)
Christopher Memminger
at ''South Carolina Encyclopedia'' (scencyclopedia.org)
Christopher Memminger
at ''NCpedia'' (ncpedia.org)

at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Memminger, Christopher 1803 births 1888 deaths 19th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American writers 19th-century American male writers American adoptees American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law American male non-fiction writers American political writers Burials in North Carolina Confederate States Department of the Treasury officials Executive members of the Cabinet of the Confederate States of America Deaths in North Carolina Deputies and delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States Economists from North Carolina Economists from South Carolina Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives German emigrants to the United States People from Flat Rock, Henderson County, North Carolina People of South Carolina in the American Civil War Recipients of American presidential pardons Signers of the Confederate States Constitution Signers of the Provisional Constitution of the Confederate States South Carolina lawyers University of South Carolina alumni Writers from Charleston, South Carolina Württemberger emigrants to the United States 19th-century pseudonymous writers American white supremacists