Founding of the US Department of the Treasury
- When
- 1789
- Where
- New York, seat of the First United States Congress; New York, seat of the federal government; Confederation finances under the treasury board
- Episodes
- 3
On September 2, 1789, Congress created the Department of the Treasury as a permanent institution to manage government finances, and on September 11, 1789, Alexander Hamilton was nominated, confirmed, and sworn in as the first Secretary of the Treasury in New York.
Episodes
- Treasury board of the confederation ends
A treasury board consisting of three commissioners oversaw the finances of the confederation of former colonies until September 1789.
- Congress creates the Department of the Treasury
Congress enacted legislation on September 2, 1789, establishing a permanent Department of Treasury to manage government finances.
- Hamilton sworn in as first Secretary of the Treasury
On September 11, 1789, Hamilton was nominated, confirmed in the Senate, and sworn in the same day as the first Secretary of the Treasury.
Background and detail
Background. Before the department's creation, a treasury board of three commissioners oversaw the finances of the confederation of former colonies until September 1789. The First United States Congress had convened in New York City on March 4, 1789, marking the beginning of government under the U.S. Constitution.
Creation of the Department. On September 2, 1789, Congress enacted legislation establishing a Department of Treasury, headed by a Secretary of the Treasury deemed head of the department, along with a Comptroller, Auditor, Treasurer, Register, and an Assistant to the Secretary. The department was created to manage government revenue.
Hamilton's Appointment. George Washington's first choice for Secretary was Robert Morris of Pennsylvania, a Second Continental Congress delegate, who declined. On Washington's advice from Morris, Hamilton was nominated and confirmed in the Senate and sworn in on September 11, 1789, as the first United States Secretary of the Treasury.
People involved
- Alexander Hamilton · First United States Secretary of the Treasury
- George Washington · President who appointed Hamilton
- Robert Morris · Washington's first choice for Secretary; declined the appointment
Sources
- United States Department of the Treasury Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-17
- Alexander Hamilton Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-20
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.