In the Senate, where he served from 1807 to 1813, William H. Crawford (1772-1834) distinguished himself as an advocate of conservative public finance, promoting an extension of the charter of the First Bank of the United States in 1811. President Madison appointed him Secretary of the Treasury as the Second Bank of the United States was established, and he continued under President James Monroe. Crawford took over a Department still in fiscal confusion resulting from the poorly financed War of 1812.
With the goal of organizing the nation's bookkeeping, he initiated the Reform Bill of 1817, which placed with the Treasury Department the responsibility for settling the financial accounts of all the federal departments. The structure of the Treasury Department was subsequently altered to accommodate its increased duties. During his secretaryship, Crawford also oversaw extensive improvements to the nation's infrastructure, including the initiation of coastal fortifications and the construction of the great westward leading Cumberland Road. In 1825 Crawford refused President John Quincy Adams's offer to continue as Secretary, citing important differences in their views, and resigned at the end of Monroe's term.
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