Edward Butterfield Vreeland (December 7, 1856 – May 8, 1936) was an American banker, businessman, and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician who represented southern

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY i ...

( Allegheny,

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua br ...

, and Cattaraugus counties) in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1899 to 1913. He is best remembered today as an author and namesake of the Aldrich-Vreeland Act, which established the

National Monetary Commission The National Monetary Commission was a U.S. congressional commission created by the Aldrich–Vreeland Act of 1908. After the Panic of 1907, the Commission studied the Banking in the United States, banking laws of the United States, and the leadi ...

in response to the Panic of 1907. Vreeland served as its vice chair.

Early life

Edward Butterfield Vreeland was born in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, Allegany County, New York. In 1869, he moved to

Salamanca, New York Salamanca ( Seneca: ''Onë:dagö:h'') is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States, inside the Allegany Indian Reservation, one of two governed by the Seneca Nation of New York. The population was 5,929 at the 2020 census. It was na ...

. He graduated from Friendship Academy in 1877.

Business and local politics

After his graduation, Vreeland served as superintendent of the Salamanca public schools from 1877 to 1882. He studied law, was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1881, but did not engage in active practice. He engaged in banking and in the oil and insurance business and became president of the Salamanca Trust Co. in 1891 From 1889 to 1893, Vreeland served as postmaster of Salamanca.

United States House of Representatives

Vreeland was elected as a

to the

Fifty-sixth Congress The 56th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1899, ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Warren B. Hooker. He was reelected to the Fifty-seventh and to the five succeeding Congresses and held office from November 7, 1899 to March 3, 1913. While in the House, he was chairman of the Committee on Banking and Currency ( Sixty-first Congress). He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1912, and was appointed a member of the

, serving as vice chairman from 1909 to 1912.

Retirement and death

He resumed former business pursuits in Salamanca until January 1, 1936, when he retired from active business. He died in Salamanca; interment was in Wildwood Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vreeland, Edward B. 1936 deaths People from Cuba, New York People from Salamanca, New York New York (state) postmasters National Monetary Commission American bankers 1856 births Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Vreeland family School superintendents in New York (state)