Ogden L. Mills

Ogden Livingston Mills
50th United States Secretary of the Treasury
In office February 12, 1932 – March 3, 1933
President	Herbert Hoover
Preceded by	Andrew W. Mellon
Succeeded by	William H. Woodin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 17th district
In office March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1927
Preceded by	Herbert C. Pell, Jr.
Succeeded by	William W. Cohen
Personal details
Born	(1884-08-23)August 23, 1884 Newport, Rhode Island
Died	October 11, 1937(1937-10-11) (aged 53)
Spouse(s)	Margaret (Rutherfurd) Mills Dukes Murat Sprague (1911-1920) (divorce) Dorothy (Randolph) Fell (1924-1937) (his death)
Alma mater	Harvard University
Occupation	Politician
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1917-1918
Rank	Captain
Battles/wars	World War I

Ogden Livingston Mills (August 23, 1884 – October 11, 1937) was an American businessman and politician.

Biography

The son of Ogden Mills and Ruth T. Livingston, he had twin sisters Beatrice Mills and Gladys Livingston Mills, and was the grandson of Darius O. Mills, who bequeathed to his son a fortune in excess of $40 million amassed in banking, railroad and mining ventures on the Pacific Coast. Ogden L. Mills was born in Newport, Rhode Island. He graduated Harvard University in 1904 and Harvard Law School in 1907. He became a lawyer in New York in 1908.

Mills married Margaret Rutherfurd, step daughter of William Kissam Vanderbilt, in France in 1911. They divorced in May, 1920. She would subsequently marry and divorce Sir Paul Dukes (1922–1929), Prince Charles Michael Joachim Napoleon Murat (1929–1939), and F.L. Sprague in 1939, before remarrying Prince Charles in 1945.

Ogden L. Mills was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1912, 1916, and 1920.

He served in the New York Senate from 1914 until 1917, when he resigned to enlist in the United States Army, and served with the rank of captain until the close of the First World War.

He was president of the New York State Tax Association and a businessman until he was elected as a Republican to the 67th, 68th and 69th United States Congresses from New York's 17th District, serving from 1921 to 1927. On September 3, 1924, he married his second wife, Mrs. Dorothy Randolph Fell, divorced first wife of the banker John R. Fell.

In 1926, he ran on the Republican ticket for Governor of New York, but was defeated by the incumbent Democrat Al Smith.

He was appointed Undersecretary of the Treasury by President Calvin Coolidge, serving under Secretary Andrew W. Mellon. In this capacity he served from 1927 until 1932 when he was appointed Secretary of the Treasury by Herbert Hoover following Mellon's resignation to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James. Mills served until March 3, 1933.

Mills' signature, as used on American currency

After leaving the Treasury Department, Mills was highly critical of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies. He continued to be active in business, and published his views in two books, What of Tomorrow in 1935 and The Seventeen Million in 1937. The latter was his attempt to provide guidance for those who voted against the New Deal in 1936.

He was a director of some large corporations, like the Lackawanna Steel Company, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, Mergenthaler Linotype Company and Shredded Wheat Company.

While in New York, Mills was also an active member of the New York Civitan Club.

Mills died in New York City and is interred in St. James Churchyard, Hyde Park, New York.

On October 16, 2011 a short film loosely based on the life of Ogden L. Mills entitled 'Ogden' was released.

Woodbury Mansion

On a commission from Ogden L. Mills, architect John Russell Pope designed this 7,500-square-foot Georgian brick mansion in Woodbury, New York in 1935. Mills was so enamored of the vistas and surroundings that he chose the site for his personal residence. The original sundial is still prominently displayed in the magnificent backyard of the home. After Mills's death the estate was converted to a private school with around 4-6 children per classroom. Today, the property has been converted back to a home and belongs to the Rosenwein family.

Thoroughbred horse racing

Ogden Mills' sister, Gladys Livingston Mills, married Henry Carnegie Phipps of the prominent Phipps family of Pittsburgh. Ogden and Gladys owned Wheatley Stable, a Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation that met with great success and was the foundation of the Phipps racing dynasty. Their stable owned and bred Seabiscuit as well as Bold Ruler who became a leading sire in the United States and whose offspring includes Secretariat. Ogden Mills also owned Kantar who won the 1928 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the most prestigious Thoroughbred horse race in France. Ogden Mills' other sister, Beatrice, married Bernard Forbes, 8th Earl of Granard, whose granddaughter Lady Georgina Forbes has revitalised showjumping in Ireland.

Collections

Both Ogden L. Mills and his nephew Ogden Phipps inherited his father's passion for collecting French antiques and works of art. Mills died October 11, 1937 at age 53.

See also

• List of people on the cover of Time Magazine: 1920s - 4 October 1926

References

• Ogden L. Mills at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

External links

• Staatsburgh State Historic Site at www.staatsburgh.org
• Lady Georgina is leading owner in showjumping - Longford Today at www.longfordleader.ie

New York State Senate
Preceded by Walter Herrick	New York State Senate, 17th District 1915- 1917	Succeeded by Courtlandt Nicoll
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Herbert C. Pell, Jr.	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 17th congressional district 1921–1927	Succeeded by William W. Cohen
Party political offices
Preceded by Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.	Republican Nominee for Governor of New York 1926	Succeeded by Albert Ottinger
Political offices
Preceded by Andrew W. Mellon	U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Served under: Herbert Hoover 1932–1933	Succeeded by William H. Woodin