James Freeman Curtis (August 16, 1878 – November 23, 1952) was an American lawyer who served Assistant Secretary of the Treasury from 1909 until 1914.

Early life

Curtis was born on August 16, 1878, in

Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts Manchester-by-the-Sea (also known simply as Manchester, its name prior to 1989) is a coastal town on Cape Ann, in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is known for scenic beaches and vista points. According to the 2020 population ...

, and was named for his paternal uncle, James F. Curtis. He was a son of Brig.-Gen. Greely Stevenson Curtis (1830–1897) and Harriot Sumner (

Appleton Appleton may refer to: People *Appleton (surname) Places Australia * Appleton Dock Canada * Appleton, Newfoundland and Labrador * Appleton, Ontario United Kingdom * Appleton, a deserted medieval village site in the parish of Flitcham w ...

) Curtis (1841–1923). Among his siblings were

Harriot Curtis Harriot Sumner Curtis (June 30, 1881 – October 25, 1974) was an American amateur golfer and an early participant in the sport of skiing. From the Manchester, Massachusetts area, she was one of ten children. Her father was a colonel in the Unio ...

, a prominent amateur golfer and skier. He attended Harvard College, from which he graduated in 1899 and where he was an Intercollegiate golf champion. He also attended

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, from which he graduated in 1903.

Career

From 1903 to 1906, he was a member of the Boston law firm of Storey, Thorndike, Palmer & Thayer. From 1906 to 1909, he served as the Assistant District Attorney for

Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in Massachusetts. The county comprises the cities of Boston, Chel ...

, to District Attorney Hill. In November 1909, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Treasury by Franklin MacVeagh, Secretary of the Treasury. From 1914 to 1919, he served as counsel and deputy governor of the

Federal Reserve Bank of New York The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is one of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks of the United States. It is responsible for the Second District of the Federal Reserve System, which encompasses the State of New York, the 12 northern counties of New ...

. After which he became a partner in the New York law firm of Curtis, Belknap & Webb. He was senior partner in the firm until he retired to become counsel in 1947 when the Robert P. Patterson, former Secretary of War, joined the firm.

Personal life

In 1912, Curtis was married to Laura Beatrice Merriam (1892–1973), a daughter of the Governor of Minnesota William Rush Merriam and Laura Elizabeth ( Hancock) Merriam. Together, they had a home called Willowmere in Roslyn Harbor, New York, and were the parents of four children. * Laura Elizabeth Curtis (1913–2003), who married George Herbert Bostwick, a son of

Albert Carlton Bostwick Albert Carlton Bostwick (June 22, 1878 – November 10, 1911) was an American banker, sportsman, and automobile enthusiast. Early life Bostwick was born in New York City on June 22, 1878. He was the only son born to Jabez A. Bostwick and Helen C ...

, in 1933. * James Freeman Curtis (1915–1945), who married Barbara Hope Gatins (1918–2017), a daughter of Benjamin Keiley Gatins, in 1938; he died in a plane crash. * Frazier Curtis (1918–1942), a Harvard graduate who was killed in a plane accident. * Pauline Curtis (1922–2001), who married Schuyler Hollingsworth. Laura and James divorced in Paris in April 1924, however, thirteen months later they remarried in Washington, D.C. They divorced again in January 1938, after which she married John Messick Gross, a vice president of Bethlehem Steel, in July 1938. In September 1938, he married Eleanor ( Munroe) Green (1884–1967), daughter of the

Henry Smith Munroe Henry Smith Munroe (March 25, 1850 – May 4, 1933) (born Henry Maynard Smith) was an American geologist who worked in Meiji period Japan as a foreign advisor to the Japanese government. Biography Munroe was born in Brooklyn, New York and ob ...

, Dean of the Columbia University School of Mines. Eleanor was the former wife of Walton Atwater Green, former prohibition investigator, stock broker and publisher from Boston. He was a member of the Tavern Club, Harvard Club, Country Club, Tennis and Racquet Club of Boston, the

Harvard Club of New York The Harvard Club of New York City, commonly called The Harvard Club, is a private social club located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Its membership is limited to alumni, faculty, and boardmembers of Harvard University. Incorporated in 1 ...

and the Metropolitan Club in Washington. Curtis died at

Jackson Memorial Hospital Jackson Memorial Hospital (also known as "Jackson" or abbreviated "MJMH") is a non-profit, tertiary care hospital, the primary teaching hospital of the University of Miami's School of Medicine, and the largest hospital in the United States with 1,5 ...

in Miami, Florida, on November 23, 1952.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, James Freeman 1878 births 1952 deaths Harvard College alumni Harvard Law School alumni United States Assistant Secretaries of the Treasury People from Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts Lawyers from New York City