Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-02
Appointment Announced as
Secretary to the President.
ASSUMES DUTY NEXT WEEK
At Present He Is Acting Secretary
of the Treasury.
TO ENJOY UNUSUAL POWERS
Will Be Practically an Assistant to
the President in Matters Big
and Little.

Official announcement was made from
the White House late yesterday after
noon of the appointment of Charles Dyer
Norton of Chicago as secretary to Presi-
dent Taft
MIR. Norton will assume the duties o.
the Office early next week, probably next
Monday. During this week he will be
acting Secretary of the Treasury, Secre-
tary MacVeagh having gone to New
York to be absent several weeks. AS
sistant Secretary Hilles is away from
Washington and Assistant Secretary Cur
tbs is i'll in New York. leaving Mr.. Nor
ton the entire work of the department to
look after.
President Taft has expressed pleasure
taryship, and it is intimated that there
will be conferred upon the new official
greater powers than ever before given a
secretary-tnat. In fact, he will be an as
sistant to the President In all the big and
little matters arising In the executive Of
fees.
Secretary MacVeagh has tentatively Sc
lected the man who will succeed Mr.. Nor
ton in the Treasury, and will be ready
within few days to announce the name.
Until he has conferred with the man, Mr.
MacVeagh will make no announcement.
Native Of Wisconsin.
Mr.. Norton's success in business and as
governmental officer is assurance to his
friends that he will achieve still greater
distinction in his new field. He was born
March Il, 1871, at Oshkosh, Wis, the son
of Rev. Franklin B. Norton, Congrega-
tional minister, and Harriet Dyer Norton.
His father, graduate OF Amherst COL
lar IN, nd of And md ChiNa
theological seminaries, was pioneer min
lister in Wisconsin. His health failed
early in his career and he died in Cali
fornia in 1895. Mr.. NortOn's mother was
a daughter Of DR.. Edgar Galusha Dyer. u
pioneer physician in Racine county, Wis,
whose forbears migrated from Rhode Is
land, through Vermont, New York and
Ohio, to Wisconsin In the territorial days.
She was a descendant Of Roger Williams
of Rhode Island. Judge Charles Dyer. a
years on the federal bench in Wisconsin.
In 1885 the new secretary to the Pres
ident entered employment as boy IN the
Office of the Northwestern Mutual Life
Insurance Company in Milwaukee. and
worked for that company all or part OF
every year from 1885 until he came to
Washington one year ago. He graduated
from Amherst College In 1893. Mr.. Nor
ton worked for Scribner's Magazine for
q few months, then went to Chicago and
re-entered employment of the Northwest
ern Life as a solicitor Of insurance.
Shortly afterward he became par.ner In
the firm of kimball & Norton, which
was the largest general agency the COM
pany had in the United States, and after
the death Of his partner he became sole
general agent. He became interested
actively in one or two manufacturing
enterprises, but his time was mainly
given to insurance.
Mr.. Norton was chairman Of the city plan
committee Of the Commercial Club Of Chi
cago for three years. during which time
Daniel II. Durham and his associate ex-
perts drew the ambitious plan OF Chi
cago' which Is now peing presented to
the citizens of Chicago through the
mayors commission OF 800 citizens. To
this work Mr.. Norton gave hours OF his
time every day for the last three years
he was in Chicago.