Founding the Fourth Branch: the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

The National Currency Act of 1863 brought significant changes to the nation’s financial, political, and government structure. Among them, as Jesse Stiller’s essay explains, was the first independent federal regulatory agency-the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Stiller explores the circumstances surrounding the OCC’s birth and how the intentions of the U.S. Congress were tested over the course of the agency’s history.