Why Can't Living People Be on U.S. Money?

Opublikowano: 2026-06-06

Today I explore one of the strangest stories in American history: the reason living people are generally banned from appearing on U.S. currency. The story begins with George Washington, moves through the Civil War, and eventually lands on a little-known Treasury official named Spencer Clark, whose face somehow ended up on American money. The fallout led Congress to pass what became known as the Thayer Amendment, shaping U.S. currency policy for more than 160 years. Along the way, we'll look at paper money, fractional currency, Lewis and Clark, Salmon P. Chase, Calvin Coolidge, commemorative...