William C. Redfield
William Cox Redfield was a Democratic politician from New York who served both in the U.S. Congress and as the first U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
Biography
Appointed by President Woodrow Wilson, Redfield served as the first Secretary of Commerce from 1913 to 1919 after the division of the Department of Commerce and Labor.Prior to his appointment, Redfield served as Commissioner of Public Works for Brooklyn. He then went on to represent New York's 5th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1911 to 1913. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic vice presidential nomination in 1912, and a supporter of labor rights.