John Sherman

Ohio author of the Sherman Antitrust Act and four decades of national legislation.

Overview

Brother of General William Tecumseh Sherman, John Sherman served in the House from 1855 to 1861, the Senate from 1861 to 1877 and 1881 to 1897, and the cabinets of Hayes and McKinley. He sponsored the 1890 act bearing his name, the founding federal antitrust statute, the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, and greenback resumption legislation in 1875. He chaired Finance, chaired the 1877 electoral commission, and was president pro tempore, running twice for president. His antitrust act, vaguely worded in 1890, became the foundation of competition law in the United States and beyond.