Charles Joseph Bonaparte | |
|---|---|
 Bonaparte,c. 1903 | |
| 46thUnited States Attorney General | |
| In office December 17, 1906 – March 4, 1909 | |
| President | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | William Moody |
| Succeeded by | George W. Wickersham |
| 37thUnited States Secretary of the Navy | |
| In office July 1, 1905 – December 16, 1906 | |
| President | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Paul Morton |
| Succeeded by | Victor H. Metcalf |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Joseph Bonaparte (1851-06-09)June 9, 1851 |
| Died | June 28, 1921(1921-06-28) (aged 70) |
| Resting place | Loudon Park Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Parent(s) | Jérôme Napoléon Bonaparte Susan May Williams |
| Relatives | SeeBonaparte family |
| Education | Harvard University (BA,LLB) |
Charles Joseph Bonaparte (/ˈboʊnəpɑːrt/BOH-nə-part; June 9, 1851 – June 28, 1921) was an American lawyer and political activist of French noble descent who advocated for progressive and liberal causes. Originally fromBaltimore, Maryland, he served in thecabinet of the 26thU.S. president,Theodore Roosevelt.
He was a descendant of theHouse of Bonaparte. His grandfather wasJérôme Bonaparte, brother of EmperorNapoleon I,[1] and his grandmother was Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte.
Bonaparte was theU.S. Secretary of the Navy and later theU.S. Attorney General.[2] During his tenure as Attorney General, he formed the Bureau of Investigation (now theFBI).[3][4]Bonaparte was one of the founders and for a time the president, of theNational Municipal League. He was also an activist for the voting rights of black residents of his native city ofBaltimore.[5]
Bonaparte was born inBaltimore, Maryland, on June 9, 1851, the son ofJérôme ("Bo") Napoleon Bonaparte (1805–1870), andSusan May Williams (1812–1881), from whom the American line of theHouse of Bonaparte descended, and a grandson ofJérôme Bonaparte,King of Westphalia, the youngest brother of French emperorNapoleon. However, the American Bonapartes never used any titles.[citation needed]
Bonaparte graduated fromHarvard College inCambridge, Massachusetts in 1871 and lived inGrays Hall during his freshman year. He was also the founding president of theSignet Society, a literary and art recognition final club at Harvard.[6] He then continued toHarvard Law School, where he later served as a university overseer. He practiced law in Baltimore and became prominent in municipal and national reform movements.
In 1899, Bonaparte was the keynote speaker for the first graduating class of theRoman Catholic women's institution run by the Order of theSchool Sisters of Notre Dame, theCollege of Notre Dame of Maryland (now Notre Dame of Maryland University). He spoke on "The Significance of the Bachelor's Degree".
Bonaparte lived in a townhouse in the north Baltimore neighborhood ofMount Vernon-Belvedere and had a country estate in suburbanBaltimore County, Maryland, which surrounds the city on the west, north, and east. His home, Bella Vista, was designed by the architectsJames Bosley Noel Wyatt (1847–1926) andWilliam G. Nolting (1866–1940), in the prominent local architectural partnership firm ofWyatt & Nolting in 1896.[7] It lies east of the Harford Road (Maryland Route 147) in an area calledGlen Arm. The house was not electrified since Bonaparte refused to have electricity or telegraph lines installed due to a dislike of technology, verified by his use of a horse-drawn coach until he died in the early 1920s.[8]
Bonaparte was a founder of the Reform League of Baltimore, organized in 1885. The League gained a clean sweep of municipal elections in 1895: long-time minority progressive liberalRepublicans ousted manyDemocratic machine politicians in heavily Democratic wards. The League men governed with clean hands for a brief time, providing a certain amount of efficient municipal government.
Bonaparte was a member of theBoard of Indian Commissioners from 1902 to 1904, chairman of theNational Civil Service Reform League in 1904, and appointed a trustee ofCatholic University of America inWashington, D.C.
In the1904 United States presidential election, Bonaparte was named one of eight Republican candidates forpresidential elector.[9]Maryland at this time chose electors individually, in an at-large election. In an unusual result, Bonaparte got the most votes of any candidate, narrowly outpolling the eight Democrat candidates, who narrowly outpolled the other seven Republicans.[10] Thus Bonaparte was the only Republican elector from Maryland, which may have reflected his reputation.
In 1905, PresidentTheodore Roosevelt appointed BonaparteSecretary of the Navy. In 1906 Bonaparte moved to the office ofAttorney General, which he held until the end of Roosevelt's term. He was active in suits brought against thetrusts and initiated the suit which broke up the monopolisticAmerican Tobacco Company. He became known as "Charlie, the Crook Chaser". In 1908, Bonaparte established aBureau of Investigation (BOI) within theDepartment of Justice. The BOI later became the FBI.
In the1912 United States presidential election, Bonaparte supported theBull Moose party of Theodore Roosevelt.[11]
On September 1, 1875, inNewport, Rhode Island, Bonaparte marriedEllen Channing Day (Hartford, Connecticut, September 25, 1852 – Washington, D.C., June 23, 1924), daughter of attorney Thomas Mills Day and wife Anna Jones Dunn. They had no children.
In 1903, he was awarded theLaetare Medal by theUniversity of Notre Dame, the oldest and most prestigious award forAmerican Catholics.[12]
Bonaparte died in Bella Vista at age 70 and is interred at southwest Baltimore's landmarkLoudon Park Cemetery. He died of "Saint Vitus' dance", a nonspecific term used at the time to refer tochorea. A nearby street inBaltimore County bears the name of Bonaparte Avenue.
After Bonaparte's death, the house was later owned bybootleggers Peter and Michael Kelly. After they left, it was destroyed in a fire caused by faulty wiring on January 20, 1933. The site was replaced by a poured concrete mansion, but a largecarriage house, dating back to 1896, is still on the estate.[7]
White Republican party leaders, including prominent Baltimore lawyer Charles J. Bonaparte, also played a role in rallying opposition to these proposals. Historian Jane L. Phelps noted Bonaparte's opposition to the Poe and Strauss Amendments in 1905 and 1908 (Phelps, "Charles J. Bonaparte and Negro Suffrage in Maryland.").
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| Preceded by | United States Secretary of the Navy 1905–1906 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | United States Attorney General 1906–1909 | Succeeded by |
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