6102

Executive Order 6102 is a U.S. presidential order issued in 1933 that targeted the hoarding of monetary gold. Signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 5, 1933, the order declared it unlawful to possess monetary gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates within the United States and required most owners to deliver such gold to the Federal Reserve or designated banks by May 1, 1933. The measure was part of a broader set of New Deal policies aimed at countering deflation and stabilizing the banking system during the Great Depression.

Content and scope. The order effectively centralized private gold holdings into federal custody and applied to U.S. citizens and residents. It is often described as a prohibition on private gold ownership in monetary form, although the text provided for certain exemptions and special categories. The primary goal was to remove gold from private hands to support a monetary policy shift away from the gold standard.

Enforcement and penalties. Violations were subject to enforcement under related statutes, with penalties including fines and/or imprisonment for noncompliance. The order itself did not operate in isolation but was part of broader emergency measures enacted by the Roosevelt administration.

Legacy and context. Executive Order 6102 preceded and complemented the Gold Reserve Act of 1934, which altered the official price of gold and further centralized gold under government control. Together, these actions contributed to a substantial reconfiguration of U.S. monetary policy during the New Deal era and are frequently cited in discussions of monetary sovereignty and government authority over private gold holdings. The order remains a notable example of wartime-like economic intervention during peacetime in U.S. economic history.