Carlisle was born in what is now
Kenton County, Kentucky. He was well educated and took a post as a teacher in
Covington, Kentucky. His father died in 1853 and he was left to support his family. He studied law under
John W. Stevenson, and joined the law firm of William Kinkeard in Covington at the age of 23. Carlisle married
Mary Jane Goodson on January 15, 1857, and they had five children, all of whom predeceased them. Carlisle became a leader of the conservative
Bourbon Democrats and was mentioned as a presidential candidate but the Democrats passed him over at their conventions for
Winfield S. Hancock in 1880 and
Grover Cleveland in 1884. Discomfort with nominating a southerner after the Civil War played a role in Carlisle's failure to win either nomination. In 1892 Carlisle was again proposed as a candidate for president at the Democratic convention, but this time Carlisle asked that he not be considered. It was reported at the time that Carlisle dropped out with the understanding that Cleveland, once re-elected, would appoint him to his Cabinet.
Senate and Treasury Department In
May 1890, the Kentucky legislature elected Carlisle to the
United States Senate to fill the nearly four years remaining in the unexpired term of the late Sen.
James B. Beck. He served until February 1893, when he resigned to become
Secretary of the Treasury under Cleveland, who had been elected president in
November 1892. Carlisle's tenure as Secretary was marred by the
Panic of 1893, a financial and economic disaster so severe that it ended Carlisle's political career. In response to a run on the American gold supply, Carlisle felt forced to end silver coinage. He also felt compelled to oppose the 1894
Wilson–Gorman Tariff bill. These two stands were widely unpopular among agrarian Democrats. In 1896 Carlisle strenuously opposed Democratic presidential nominee
William Jennings Bryan, supporting a splinter
Gold Democrat candidate, once-Illinois Governor
Palmer, instead. By 1896, the once remarkably popular Carlisle was so disliked due to his stewardship of the currency that he was forced to leave the stage in the middle of a speech in his home town of Covington due to a barrage of abuse. Feeling rejected, he retired from public life and sold his house in Covington.
Later career and death By May 1899, the
North American Trust Company had directors such as John G. Carlisle,
Adlai E. Stevenson, and
Wager Swayne. He moved to New York City, where he practiced law, and died on July 31, 1910, at age 75, and is buried in
Linden Grove Cemetery in
Covington, Kentucky. ==Legacy==