Alexander J. Dallas
Alexander J. Dallas was a prominent American politician and legal figure in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Born in Scotland and educated at Edinburgh University, he immigrated to the United States in 1783, establishing himself in Philadelphia. Dallas played a significant role in Pennsylvania politics, notably as a founding member of the Pennsylvania Democratic Society and serving three consecutive terms as the state's secretary of state from 1791 to 1801. In 1801, he was appointed U.S. district attorney for the eastern district of Pennsylvania by President Thomas Jefferson, a position he held for thirteen years while also editing the first Supreme Court reports.
Dallas was known for his opposition to Chief Justice John Jay's Treaty of 1794, voicing his critiques in his publication, "Features of Jay's Treaty." His political career culminated in 1814 when President James Madison appointed him as secretary of the treasury during a financially challenging period for the government. In this role, he worked to restore public credit, supported the establishment of a national banking institution, and pushed for a protective tariff. Dallas's contributions had lasting effects on the financial landscape of the early United States.
Subject Terms
Alexander J. Dallas
Significance: Dallas published edited reports of the first cases decided in the Supreme Court. He also published a pamphlet expressing opposition to Chief Justice John Jay’s Treaty of 1794 with Great Britain.
Educated at Edinburgh University, Dallas migrated to the United States and settled in Philadelphia in 1783. In 1793 he helped found the Pennsylvania Democratic Society and was an active politician, serving three consecutive terms as the secretary of state of Pennsylvania between 1791 and 1801. On March 10, 1801, President Thomas Jefferson appointed Dallas as the U.S. district attorney for the eastern district of Pennsylvania, where he served for thirteen years and handled numerous cases.
While waiting for legal cases, Dallas edited the first reports of the Supreme Court and published four volumes of Reports of Cases, Adjudged in the Several Courts of the United States and of Pennsylvania Before and Following the Revolution, during the period from 1790 to 1807. Dallas was a strong opponent of Chief Justice John Jay’s Treaty of 1794 and published arguments against it in Features of Jay’s Treaty (1795). President James Madison appointed Dallas as the secretary of the treasury in 1814 at a critical juncture in government finance. Dallas restored public credit, advocated a national banking institution, which passed in 1816, and promoted a protective tariff.