Fred M. Vinson
Supreme Court Justice
13th Chief Justice who re-interpreted government powers based on his experiences in the legislative and executive branches.
He went into private practice after completing his law degree in 1911, entering national politics in 1923 with a seat in the House of Representatives.
He was appointed Secretary of the Treasury by President Harry S. Truman after leading several ad-hoc agencies in World War II where he helped establish the International Monetary Fund.
He was born in Louisa, Kentucky. His father was a Lawrence County jailer.
He served on the Supreme Court at a time when it was divided into two competing factions, one of them led by Justice Hugo Black.