MICHAEL N. CASTLE (1939-2025)

Delaware Governor and U.S. Congressman Mike Castle has passed. Thanks to Howard Berlin for passing this along. He was a friend of numismatics, creating the 50 State Quarters Program and sponsoring numerous other coinage-related legislation. Here's an excerpt from his online obituary. -Editor

Michael N. Castle, widely known as a dedicated public servant who brought a bipartisan, common-sense approach to policy-making, died on Thursday, August 14, 2025 in Wilmington, Delaware following a long illness.

Governor Castle was a two-term Delaware Governor from 1985 to 1992. He served as Delaware's lone Member of Congress from 1993 to 2011, making him the longest-serving U.S. Representative in the state's history. He was Lt. Governor of Delaware from 1981 to 1985 and a member of the Delaware General Assembly, serving in both the State House of Representatives and in the State Senate from 1966 to 1976. He also served as Deputy Attorney General.

Congressman Mike Castle was a founding member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a leading organization for centrist Republicans, and worked in a bipartisan manner to help move people from welfare to work, support fiscally responsible government, improve public education, and protect the community. He served on the House Committee on Financial Services, Committee on Education and Workforce and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Mike helped shape the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 by increasing childcare funding and Medicaid coverage for those moving from welfare to work. A supporter of conservative fiscal policies, Mike was lead sponsor of successful legislation that gave the President Line-Item Veto Authority to veto individual items in spending bills, and he helped drive the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to successful passage.

Mike helped write and pass No Child Left Behind legislation to improve public schools by increasing resources and flexibility for schools and teachers in return for more accountability to ensure all children are learning. He wrote the law that created the 50 State Quarters Program widely recognized as the most innovative circulating coin program in our nation's history. He was a co-sponsor in the successful passage of The Brady Bill which required a 5-day waiting period for the purchase of a gun and the implementation of computerized instant background checks.

Mike loved the outdoors and, at the age of ten, began attending summer camps in Maine at Camp Medomak, where he went on to become a camp counselor. He was an avid fan of the Phillies, Flyers, Sixers, Eagles, and the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens.

He enjoyed small town parades around Delaware on July 4th and especially on Halloween. Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Governor Pete du Pont, who dressed up as Dracula, Mike enjoyed dressing up as Frankenstein for the families who visited the Governor's House and for parades in each county. Mike was a voracious reader, devouring newspapers, periodicals, fiction and non-fiction books. After a quick glance at the front page, he would bury himself in the sports section. As a child he was often caught by his parents reading by flashlight under the covers late at night.

Governor Castle was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on July 2, 1939. His parents were James Manderson Castle, Jr., and Louisa Johnston (nee Bache). His fifth great-grandfathers were Founding Fathers Benjamin Franklin and Daniel Carroll. He was a graduate of Tower Hill School, and he earned a BS degree in economics from Hamilton College and a JD degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.

Governor Castle is survived by his wife of over 33 years, Jane DiSabatino, many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

To read the complete article, see:
Michael N. Castle (https://www.delawareonline.com/obituaries/pdov1255467)

"Since Delaware is a small state, it is not unusual to meet many of our politicians - local, state and federal. I've met Mike Castle several times and found him to be very personable and easy to talk to about the issues. One time I met him, I mentioned that I write articles and wrote a few books about coins and banknotes. When I mentioned his State Quarters programs, his eyes lit up and he exhibited a broad smile and he mentioned that he was very proud of it. "

Pete Smith's American Numismatic Biographies notes that Castle introduced a bill to strike commemorative coins for the Old San Francisco Mint and he received the ANA Outstanding Government Service Award in 1997. Google's AI's answer to my question about major coin legislation sponsored by Michael Castle follows. -Editor

Former Delaware Governor and Congressman Michael Castle sponsored several key pieces of coin legislation during his time in Congress (1993-2011), earning him the nickname "The Coinage Congressman". These include: Commemorative Coin Authorization and Reform Act of 1995: This act created the American Platinum Eagle bullion coin.

Legislation Limiting Commemorative Coins: He also drafted and sponsored legislation that limited the number of new commemorative coin subjects to two per year, aiming to focus the series and boost collector interest.
The 50 State Quarters Program: This transformative program honored each state with its own commemorative quarter, starting with Delaware, Castle's home state.
Presidential Dollar Coin Program: This program, starting in 2007, featured dollar coins bearing the likenesses of all U.S. presidents.
America the Beautiful Quarters Program: This program, initiated after the State Quarters program, honors national parks, monuments, and other natural areas and features a five-ounce silver bullion coin, the largest silver coin ever created by the U.S. Mint.
Legislation for Specific Commemoratives: He also drafted and sponsored legislation for several specific commemorative coins, including the 2006 silver dollars honoring Benjamin Franklin, one of Castle's ancestors.