Treasury Department

Immigration and Deportation: NYC Mayors and Federal Officials

July 8, 2025 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

On April 27, 1972, Mayor John V. Lindsay sent a letter to the Hon. Raymond F. Farrell, Commissioner, Immigration and Naturalization Service, U. S. Department of Justice, in Washington, DC.

Lindsay wrote to Farrell on behalf of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, “who are currently facing deportation proceedings initiated by your Department.” Lindsay acknowledged to Farrell that the couple “speak out with strong and critical voices on major issues of the day.” [Read more…] about Immigration and Deportation: NYC Mayors and Federal Officials

Martin Van Buren & Morgan Lewis: It’s Complicated

February 13, 2025 by Guest Contributor 4 Comments

Have you ever read someone’s handwriting that’s just un-readable – looked over a note from a friend or loved one and said, “how do you expect me to read this?!”

We found ourselves in this exact situation while examining three handwritten letters in Staatsburgh Historic Site’s archives. Unfortunately, we could not ask the sender what they had written, because the sender was the 8th President of the United States, Martin van Buren. [Read more…] about Martin Van Buren & Morgan Lewis: It’s Complicated

The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History

October 26, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

In March 1791 Treasury Secretary and Federalist Party leader Alexander Hamilton shocked the western frontier when he proposed a domestic excise tax on whiskey to balance America’s national debt.

The law, known colloquially as the “Whiskey Act,” disproportionately penalized farmers in the backcountry, while offering favorable tax incentives designed to protect larger distillers. [Read more…] about The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History

‘Thuggery, Intimidation and General Foul Play’: Ogden Mills & The 1935 Nabisco Strike

October 11, 2023 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

Like all great mysteries, it started with an unexpected clue. In this case, a photograph that caught the eye of Joe D’Agostino, Historic Interpreter at Staatsburgh State Historic Site in Hyde Park, Dutchess County, NY.

It was a March 3, 1935 Acme News Service photograph showing workers picketing outside the 5th Avenue, Manhattan mansion formerly owned by Ruth Livingston Mills (1855-1920) and her husband Ogden Mills (1856-1929), who had also owned the Staatsburgh Mansion. [Read more…] about ‘Thuggery, Intimidation and General Foul Play’: Ogden Mills & The 1935 Nabisco Strike

Albany’s Daniel Manning: Newspaperman & Secretary of the Treasury

October 4, 2023 by Peter Hess Leave a Comment

Daniel Manning was born in Albany, NY, on August 16, 1831, the second son of John and Eleanor Manning. The Mannings were of Irish, English, and Dutch descent.

Daniel was six at the time of the Panic of 1837 when his father died, causing financial strain on the politically connected family. When Daniel was ten he was appointed a page in the New York State Assembly where he served for two years. During the second year, he also got a job distributing the Albany Atlas newspaper. [Read more…] about Albany’s Daniel Manning: Newspaperman & Secretary of the Treasury

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