Daniel C. Roper

Daniel C. Roper was a prominent American political figure and administrator who served as the United States Secretary of Commerce under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. A key member of the New Deal administration, he played a significant role in shaping the federal government's response to the Great Depression. His long career in Washington, D.C. spanned multiple Democratic administrations, including that of President Woodrow Wilson, where he served as United States Commissioner of Internal Revenue. Roper was known as a skilled political organizer and a pragmatic advocate for the Democratic Party's economic policies.

Early life and education

Daniel Calhoun Roper was born in Marlboro County, South Carolina, in the aftermath of the American Civil War. He attended local schools before enrolling at Trinity College, which later became Duke University. After graduating, he studied law and was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 1892, establishing a legal practice in his home state. His early political involvement was with the Democratic Party in South Carolina, where he became associated with figures like Senator Benjamin Tillman.

Political career

Roper's political career began in earnest when he moved to Washington, D.C. in 1900, securing a clerkship with the United States Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce. He later served as chief clerk of the United States Senate Committee on Post Office and Post Roads. His administrative talents were recognized by President Woodrow Wilson, who appointed him First Assistant United States Postmaster General in 1913. In 1917, Wilson appointed him United States Commissioner of Internal Revenue, a position he held until 1920, where he oversaw the implementation of new income tax laws following the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Secretary of Commerce

Appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, Roper became a central figure in the early New Deal. As United States Secretary of Commerce, he worked to foster cooperation between the federal government and the business community through agencies like the National Recovery Administration. He oversaw the expansion of the Commerce Department's functions, including the work of the Bureau of the Census and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Roper was a member of the "Brain Trust" and served on important committees like the Executive Council and the National Emergency Council. He resigned from the cabinet in December 1938.

Later career and death

After leaving the Commerce Department, Roper remained active in public service. President Roosevelt appointed him as a special envoy on a diplomatic mission to Canada in 1939. He also served on the board of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. In his final years, he practiced law in Washington, D.C. and authored his memoirs, titled Fifty Years of Public Life. Daniel C. Roper died in Washington, D.C. on April 11, 1943, and was interred at Rock Creek Cemetery.

Category:1867 births Category:1943 deaths Category:United States Secretaries of Commerce Category:Franklin D. Roosevelt administration cabinet members