Francis B. Carpenter, Six Months at the White House

[184] had not been suggested by any one, so far as I knew,--certainly no newspaper had advocated his merits or claims. I was at length impelled, by the force of the convictions which engaged my mind, to lay down my palette and brushes, and go upstairs and state them to the President.

Improving the first opportunity when we were left alone, I said, half playfully,--“Mr. President, would you like the opinion of a painter as to who would make a good Secretary of the Treasury?” He looked at me a moment, and said: “Yes, I think I would. What is your advice?” Said I, “Nominate Hugh McCulloch.” “Why,” said he, “what do you know of McCulloch?” “Mr. President,” I rejoined, “you know painters are thought generally to have very little knowledge of financial matters. I admit that this is true, so far as I am concerned; but I do claim to know something of men, from the study of character as expressed in faces. Now, in my humble judgment, McCulloch is the most suitable man in the community for the position. First; his ability and integrity are unquestionable. Second; as Comptroller of the Currency, he is fully acquainted with the past, present, and proposed future policy of Secretary Chase, and the entire ‘machinery’ of the Department. Third; he is a practical financier. Having made finance the study of his life, it is obvious he is already educated to the position; whereas, a man taken from the political arena ”