The Washington times., 1910-11-26
Treasury Department En-
plOye Has an Enviabie
Record.
IS MAKING PICTURE
OF THE SECRETARY
Has Drawn Portraits of All Heads
OF Department Since G. w.
FOgler in 1882.

''SwanH. believe YOU are the man
Eho is making all this counterfeit
money
These words. spoken by Leslie NJ.
Shaw, when he was Secretary Of the
Treasury, James X. Swank. expert pen
man, considers the highest tribute TO
lis ability
With none OF the special tools OF an
engraver's artist, but with the employ
ment Of d SpenCerian pen aIOne, this vet
eran employee Of the Treasury Depart
mont has produced work which is the
envy % many OF the country's best
known professional penmen.
Mr.. Swank is an amateur He Is d
clerk in the Treasury Department. and
his duty is the transcri5ing Of routine
records Of the customs service But in
his odd moments ne has Transcribed
official documents for several OF Uncle
Sans departments Chief among his
gallery OF pen and ink portraits is a
series Of sketches OF every Secretary
Of the Treasury since the retirement of
Charles r Fogl7r in ISS2
At Work On the Latest.
The set conclude with an artistic nor
trait Of George b CorteIyou. done IN
fine lines that suggest the work Of the
etcher- He is now AT work on the pic
ture Of Secretary AacVeagh. the ircum-
bent, and he hopes. with respectful
loyalty that he win have plenty of time
10 nnish II, for IT has not been his Gus
tom 10 present these portraits 10 the
Secretaries until they are about 10
retire
Air- Swank sits at a window overlook
ing the White House grounds He is
seventy-five years old. ana his memory
OF events in the Treasury Department
IN addition 10 his ability as q workman
in the service
'Swank, you are old enough 10 be
denoted or retired or something like
that. the chief OF IS division sid
TO him on his last birthday. but You
are so young that am going 10 recon-
mend an increase for you instead
he got the increase There are not
many members o. congress who do nOt
know the penman and his work Nm
merous memorials signed by Senator's
and Representative on the occasion OF
the death of some fellow member or
some man high in the executive depart
ments- have been prepared by Mr.
Ewank.
In the archives Of his own department
As preserved some o. MS work In a
beautifully engaged certlfCatiJn check
for the 10000 DEPOSITED by Miss Helen
Gould IN the United States Treasury
vaults at the outbreak Of the spanish
American war
The Commissioners Of the District Of
COlumbi called upon aim for the card
presenting the freedom Of the National
Capital to Admiral George Dewey after
his return fran the victory Of Manila bay
This piece Of work, considered one Of the
finest he has done outside his portraits,
has been widely published in penman-
skip magazines and other publications
Lives In Northeast
Mr.. Swank lives al 1872 Gales street
northeast He served as chief clerk TO
the eonuissary clerk stationed at An
napOlis during the civil war After the
war he came 70 Washington, and since
is he has been employed at the Treas
Try
He wa friend to many Of the sec
TetaTies OF that department. and one
whose acquaintance ne most prizes IS
that Of former Secretary COrtelyOu.
His scrap book. containing the best
specimens Of his own work, contains an
.utOgTa Dhed photograph Of Mr- CO-teI-
you with the inscription written IN the
istic hand. For James W SWank. with
the best wishes OF Geo b COrteIyou,
March s 1909'-
1t was from this portrait that the
photographer copied the likeness Of Mr.. 7
COrtelyOu done in pen and ink
He intends to make the portrait Of
Mr. MacNeagh his masterpiece But he
viii not present It until that official re-
tires
A Secretary must close his admins
tratiOn in q worthy manner before he
can claim a place in the Swank gallery I
o. fame.