As secretary of state, Hamilton Fish distinguished himself in the otherwise scandal-ridden administration of President Ulysses S. Grant. Born August 3, 1808, in New York City, Fish came from a wealthy family. His father was a prominent lawyer and a member of the Federalist Party—the group with which George Washington, John Adams (1735-1826; see entry in volume 1), and Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804; see box in George Washington entry in volume 1) had been associated. Fish graduated with highest honors from Columbia College in 1827 and was certified as a lawyer in 1830.

Fish entered politics as a member of the Whig Party; he was elected to Congress in 1842 and governor of New York in 1848. His administration expanded the New York canal system and established a statewide framework for public education. In 1851, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. His father had been the member of a dying political party...