Evening star., 1940-09-03
David F. Houston,
Cabinet Officer Under
Wilson, Dies at IA
Secretary Of Agriculture
And Treasury, He Later
Headed Big Corporations
D, the AssociateG Press.

- the Associated Press.
NEW YORK. Sept. 3.-David
Franklin Houston, IA, insurance
executive, former Secretary of Agri-
culture and for brief period Sec
retary of the Treasury, died yester-
day Of heart disease.
Mr.. Houston was board chairman
of the Mutual Life Insurance Co.
Of New York. He served. as Agri-
culture Secretary from 1918 to 1920
in President Wilson'S cabinet, and
then was given the Treasury De-
partment portfolio.
While a cabinet officer, he was
chairman Of the Federal Reserve
and Farm Loan Boards. After leav-
ing the cabinet Mr.. Houston served
as vice president of the American
Telephone g. Telegraph Co. and as
president of the Bell Telephone
Securities Co.
Native of North Carolina.
Mr.. Houston was born at Mon
roe, Union County, N c., February
II, 1866, the son of William H.
and Cornelia Anne tStevens)
Houston. He was a descendant of
John Houston, who came to America
from Scotland in the 18th century
and settled in Augusta County, Va,
where he founded the old Providence
Church.
He lived a varied life, beginning
modestly as a graduate student in
structor of ancient languages. He
found time to be an author and at SO
became college president. While
known to the people of the South
as one of their foremost educators
and economists, Mr.. Houston was
known to the public at large as
holder of the two portfolios in the
Wilson administration. He had been
one of the first to sponsor Wilson's
candidacy for President.
In the Agriculture post seven
years. he helped organize the Fed
eral Reserve system. Later Congress
eliminated the Secretary of Agricul-
ture as a member of that body and
he became one of the creators of the
Federal Farm Loan Board.
Led in Repeal of Profits Tax.
President Wilson transferred him
from the Agriculture Department to
the Office of Secretary of the Treas
ury early in 1920. In that post he
supervised national finances during
the postwar readjustment period
and developed measures for han
ding the floating debt and retiring
the victory loan. Mr.. Houston also
brought about economies in eXpen-
ditures and framed a program for
tax revision that included repeal of
the excess profits tax and reduced
supertaXes, in addition to formulat-
ing principles for dealing with allied
debts, whose cancellation he op-
posed.
At the same time he aided in Or
ganizing relief work for Europe, was
a member of the Council for Ma
tional Defense and was chairman of
the Federal Board for Vocational
Education.
After eight years in Washington
Houston went to New York and be-
came associated with a number of
business institutions. When elect
ed president of the Mutual Co.
June %, 1927, he was vice president
and director of A. T. & T., president
of the Bell Securities Co., director
of the New York Telephone Co., the
Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.,
Prudential Insurance Co. of America
and a trustee of the Institute of Eco
nomics. Washington.
Headed Texas A. and M.
He was graduated with honor
from South Carolina University in
1887. For three years, beginning
in 1888, he was superintendent of
schools at Spartanburg, S. G. Later
he studied history, government, po-
litical economy and finance at Har-
ward University, where he received
his masters degree.
He joined the faculty of the Uni
versity of Texas in 1892. Afterward
he became full professor and dean
of the faculty, which Office he was
first to occupy. In 1902 he was sp-
pointed president Of the Agricultural
and Mechanical College of Texas
and three years later returned to
the University of Texas as president.
In 1908 he became chancellor of
Washington University, st. Louis.
He was married December II,
1895, to Helen Beall, daughter of
Capt. Duval Beall Of Austin, Tex.
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