author
Leslie M. (Leslie Mortier) Shaw
1848–1932
A self-made lawyer, banker, and politician, he rose from rural beginnings to become Iowa’s governor and later Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary of the treasury. His career brought together practical business sense, public service, and a lasting interest in national finance.
1 Audiobook
Vanishing Landmarks: The Trend Toward Bolshevism
by Leslie M. (Leslie Mortier) Shaw
About the author
Born in Morristown, Vermont, in 1848, Leslie Mortier Shaw worked his way through school before building a career in Iowa. He graduated from Cornell College in Mount Vernon and earned a law degree in 1876, then settled in Denison, where he practiced law and became active in banking as well.
Shaw entered politics in the late 1890s and served as Iowa’s seventeenth governor from 1898 to 1902. He then joined President Theodore Roosevelt’s cabinet as secretary of the treasury, serving from 1902 to 1907. He was also mentioned as a possible presidential contender during the Republican race leading up to the 1908 election.
After leaving federal office, he remained prominent in banking and public speaking, especially on financial and economic questions. He later wrote books including Current Issues and Vanishing Landmarks, and died in Washington, D.C., in 1932.