John Sherman

Born in Lancaster, Ohio, in 1823, John Sherman trained as a lawyer before entering politics. He went on to serve for decades in public office, representing Ohio in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and becoming one of the most influential Republican lawmakers of his era.

He played a major role in national economic policy, especially on banking, currency, and federal finance during a period of rapid change in the United States. His name is most closely linked with the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, a landmark law aimed at curbing monopolies and protecting competition.

Later in his career, he served in the cabinets of two presidents, first as Secretary of the Treasury under Rutherford B. Hayes and later as Secretary of State under William McKinley. He was also the younger brother of Union general William Tecumseh Sherman, but he built a major public career in his own right and remained a prominent national figure until his death in 1900.