James L. Robertson

James L. Robertson joined the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on February 18, 1952. He was appointed vice chairman on March 1, 1966, and held the role until he resigned on April 30, 1973.

Robertson was born and raised in Broken Bow, Nebraska, in 1907. After attending Grinnell University, he studied at George Washington University, where he received a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of laws degree. He then did graduate work at the Harvard Law School, from which he received his master of laws degree in 1932.

Robertson entered government service in 1927 with the US Senate Post Office. There, he served as chief clerk from 1928 to 1931. Later, he was a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 1933, he joined the legal staff of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. He served in the US Naval Reserve from 1943 to 1944. Thereafter, he served as deputy comptroller until he became a member of the Board of Governors. He was admitted to the Bar of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1931 and to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1935.

During his tenure on the Board of Governors, Robertson pressed for the establishment of a federal banking commission that would consolidate responsibility for bank examinations and supervision under one agency.

After leaving the Board, Robertson joined the law firm of Bierbauer and Rockefeller.

Robertson was married and had three sons. He died in 1994.

Written by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. See disclaimer.