Leslie M. Shaw

Leslie Mortier Shaw (November 2, 1848 – March 28, 1932) was an American businessman, lawyer, and politician. He served as the 17th governor of Iowa and was a Republican candidate in the 1908 United States presidential election. He was Secretary of the Treasury from 1902 to 1907.

Early life

Shaw was born on November 2, 1848 in Morristown, Vermont, the son of Boardman O. Shaw and Louise Spaulding "Lovisa" Shaw. He attended Cornell College in 1874 and then University of Iowa Law in 1876. Shaw married the former Alice Crenshaw on December 6, 1877, with whom he had three children.

Shaw was a part-time lawyer and part-time apple salesman in Denison, Iowa. He later became a banker and founded, with partner Carl F. Kuehnle, the Bank of Dennison, in Dennison, Iowa. They would go on to found banks in Manilla, Iowa and Charter Oak, Iowa. He was a Methodist, and superintendent of his Sunday school for over 25 years. He also founded, in 1893, the Denison Business and Normal College, which stayed opened until 1917.

Governorship

In 1898, he became the 17th governor of Iowa, serving until 1902. During his tenure, he established the Board of Control for Iowa's state institutions. He set the foundation to build the Memorial, Historical, and Art Department. He created the Library Commission and helped to establish free public libraries and school libraries throughout the state. He was also the first governor of Iowa to drive a car.

Secretary of Treasury

He became active in politics during the 1896 presidential election where he held speeches in favor of William McKinley, arguing in favor of his monetary policy. He then became the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, being nominated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902.