Nicholas Biddle
(1786-1844)
WHO SHE WAS:
Nicholas Biddle was an American financier who served as the President of the Second Bank of the United States. He became a central figure in the Bank War, a political struggle initiated by President Andrew Jackson, who opposed the renewal of the bank's charter.
WHAT HE SAID:
"This worthy President thinks that because he has scalped Indians and imprisoned judges, he is to have his own way with the Bank. He is mistaken."
WHY HE MATTERED:
Biddle's management of the bank's affairs and his confrontation with Andrew Jackson over its recharter had profound effects on the nation's economy and the future of federal fiscal policy. His stewardship of the bank was marked by both praised financial acumen and criticized elitism.