 He spoke out on the financial causes of the Great Depression and gained national attention, appearing on the cover of Time Magazine on November 21, 1932.He was considered a possible Democratic candidate for president in 1932 but he did not pursue this candidacy, though he received approximately 40 votes on each of the first three ballots at the convention.He served as president of the American Bankers' Association, president of the Shedd Aquarium Society, and trustee of the Newberry Library, Northwestern University, and of Berea College.