“Hell and Maria!” Charles Gates Dawes Tells Off Congress and Becomes a Celebrity

Charles Gates Dawes (1865–1951) was one of the most colorful and substantial characters of America’s 20th-century history. Lawyer, banker, musical composer, first head of Bureau of the Budget, vice president of the United States, and Nobel Prize Laureate. His involvement in the nation’s war effort stemmed from his  crossing paths with Lt. John J. Pershing in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the 1890s. They became lifetime friends. Two decades later, then General Pershing, Commander of the AEF, would help bring Dawes and his financial skills into the Army. He went on the serve with great distinction in France as  chief of supply procurement for the American combat forces and earned promotion to brigadier general. (Article on the scope of the AEF purchasing program HERE.)

After the Armistice, Dawes was instrumental in managing the logistical aftermath of the war. He oversaw the liquidation of billions of dollars’ worth of surplus war material. In February 1921, Congress still coming to grips with the stupendous cost of the war was holding hearings on the subject, and called Dawes to testify, since there had been accusations of waste and overspend in the purchasing of war materials and the disposal on surplus supplies and equipment after hostilities. The tenor of the hearings had returned—as normal for Washington—to distinct partisanship. When Dawes testified, Republican lawmakers were hungry to discredit the now out-of-office Wilson administration and targeted Dawes despite his party affiliation.

An Early Summary of the Surplus Disposal Program Under Dawes’ Command.

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Later, Vice-President Charles Dawes and Old Friend General Pershing.

The public reaction was immediate and positive. The formerly little known banker and army officer became nationally famous as “Hell and Maria Dawes.” Instead of being condemned for his temper, the public appreciated his blunt honesty and common-sense defense of the war effort. The fame from this incident directly boosted his political career. Shortly after, President Harding appointed him the first director of the Bureau of the Budget, where he was tasked with bringing the same intensity to streamlining government spending, which he accomplished.

Read the entire article on the Roads to the Great War website here:

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