Dingley Act

This article is about a tariff law. For the merchant marine law, see Dingley Act (shipping).

The Dingley Act of 1897 (ch. 11, 30 Stat. 151, July 24, 1897), introduced by U.S. Representative Nelson Dingley, Jr., of Maine, raised tariffs in United States to counteract the Wilson–Gorman Tariff Act of 1894, which had lowered rates. Came into effect under William McKinley the first year that he was in office. The McKinley administration wanted to slowly bring back the protectionism that was proposed by the Tariff of 1890.

Following the election of 1896, McKinley followed through with his promises for protectionism. Congress imposed duties on wool and hides which had been duty-free since 1872. Rates were increased on woolens, linens, silks, china, and sugar (the tax rates for which doubled). The Dingley Tariff remained in effect for twelve years, making it the longest-lived tariff in U.S. history. It was also the highest in U.S. history, averaging about 52% in its first year of operation. Over the life of the tariff, the rate averaged at around 47%.

The Dingley Act remained in effect until the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act of 1909.

See also

• McKinley Tariff

Further reading

• F. W. Taussig. "The Tariff Act of 1897" Quarterly Journal of Economics Vol. 12, No. 1 (Oct., 1897), pp. 42–69 in JSTOR