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Executive Orders Archive

Every President • 1789 to Present

Executive Order 6638 Constitutional Friction / Overreach (-0.19)

Executive Order 6638—Authorizing the Formation of a Banking Corporation to Be Known as Second Export-Import Bank of Washington, D.C.

Friday, March 9, 1934
4 min read (796 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

This executive order, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 1934-03-09, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Authorizing the Formation of a Banking Corporation to Be Known as Second Export-Import Bank of Washington, D.C.." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

Constitutional Assessment: An early statesman would subject this decree to rigorous scrutiny under Article I, Section 8. The Framers deliberately committed commerce, taxation, tariffs, and revenue to Congress alone. To the extent this order imposes duties or financial burdens without explicit statutory pre-authorization, it creates friction with the separation of powers.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

The governing board of said corporation shall consist of a board of trustees composed of nine members, and the following persons, who have been invited and who have given their consent to serve, shall constitute the initial board of trustees and shall handle the concerns of the corporation for the first year: Daniel C.
Neff, Assistant Chief, Securities Division, Federal Trade Commission The operations of the corporation shall be carried on in the District of Columbia, and the main office of the corporation shall be at 1825 H Street NW., Washington, District of Columbia, or at such other place as may be determined by the board of trustees.
The amount of capital stock of the corporation shall be $2,750,000, divided into classes and shares as follows: ( a ) $250,000 par value of common stock, divided into 2,500 shares of the par value of $100 each; and ( b ) $2,500,000 par value of preferred stock, divided into 2,500 shares of the par value of $1,000 each.
The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Commerce are hereby authorized and directed to cause said corporation to be formed with such certificate of incorporation, and bylaws, as they shall deem requisite and necessary to define the methods by which the corporation shall conduct its business.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises 🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners 🏛️ Foreign Nations & International Entities
Total Words
796
4,851 characters
Estimated Read Time
4 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
17.7
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
-0.19
Framers' Alignment index
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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 6638, Franklin D. Roosevelt (Mar 9, 1934). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-6638-authorizing-the-formation-banking-corporation-be-known-second-export.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)