Which United States department did Alexander Hamilton lead as its first secretary in 1789?

Alexander Hamilton led the Department of the Treasury as its first secretary in 1789.

Congress created the department on September 2, 1789, during the first session of the new federal government. President George Washington nominated Hamilton, who was confirmed by the Senate and served from September 11, 1789, until January 31, 1795.

Hamilton worked to stabilize the finances of the United States, which had inherited Revolutionary War debts from the Continental Congress and the states. His major reports supported federal assumption of state debts, the funding of national obligations, and the creation of a national bank.

The Treasury Department was one of the original executive departments. The others created in the same early period included the Department of State, the War Department, and the Office of the Attorney General. Hamilton’s financial program strengthened federal authority but also contributed to fierce political disagreements with Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.