Salmon P. Chase
In 1849 Chase was elected to the United States Senate from Ohio on the Free Soil Party, and in 1855 he was elected governor of Ohio. He ran for the United States Republican Party nomination for the Presidency in 1860; at the Party convention he got 49 votes on the first ballot and afterwards threw his support to Abraham Lincoln. After Lincoln's election Chase was appointed United States Secretary of the Treasury, serving until 1864 when he resigned that post and Lincoln nominated Chase for the Supreme Court. Chase then served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, holding that position until his death.
The first U.S. Federal currency was printed in 1862, during Chase's tenure as Secretary of the Treasury, thus it was his responsibility to design the notes. In an effort to further his political career, his own face appeared on a variety of U.S. paper currency. Most recently, in order to honor the man who introduced the modern system of banknotes, it was on the $10,000 bill, printed from 1928 to 1946. This bill is no longer in circulation.
Chase continued to be active in politics, helping to found the Liberal Republican Party in 1872, and unsuccessfully seeking its presidential nomination. Chase died in New York City in 1873.
featuring Salmon P. Chase
| Preceded by: Roger Taney | Chief Justice of the United States | Succeeded by: Morrison Waite |