~THE~ FIRST OFFICERS __............,..OF THE~-- UNITED STATES CUSTOMS SERVICE ~ Appointed by President George Washington in 1789 by Michael N. Ingrisano, Jr. June 1987 ccour 198th Year) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author gratefully acknowledges the help and encouragement from so many sources without which this study would have taken much longer to complete. Dr. Carl Prince's The Federalists and the Origins ofthe U.S. Civil Sen>ice, New York University Press, 1977, is filled with biographic and anecdotal tidbits char proved invaluable where no other information seemed to exist. Dr. Prince also directed me to sources I had not envisioned, thereby saving me countless steps. The basic source for many of the Virginia contingent was Earl Gregg Swem, Virginia Historical Index, Roanoke, 1934-1936, reprinted 1965. The author also wishes to thank the following individuals, public libraries, state libraries, and historical societies. Emerson W. Baker, Dyer Library, Saco, Maine Elizabeth B. Knox, The New London County Historical Society, Conn. Ottila Knox, Neiv Haven Colon_v Historical Society, Co1111. John Dojka, Yale Uni1>mity Library, Nt11• Haven, Conn. Marion A. Harding, Cape Ann Historical Association, Gloucester, Mass. Ruby Shackleford, Urbanna Public Library, U1·banna, Va. Francis P. O'Neill, Museum and Library ofMaryland History'. Baltimore, Md. A. J. Goldwyn, Dukes County Historical Society, E.Wartown, Mass. Thomas Morabito, Wilmi1!!ftOn Library, Wilmit!!l'ton, Del. Mary Carey, The New York Historical Society, Nt11• York, N. Y. Doris Post, Godfre_v Memorial Library, Middlero1vn, Conn. Bruce F. Pomerantz, Hudson Arta Association Library, Hudson, N. Y. Jean B. Russo, HistoricAnn11polis, Inc.. Ann11polis, Md. Allan W. Robbins, Alex11ndria Libr11ry, Alex11ndri11, Va. Frances Fugate, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Va. Mary M. Boyd, Georgetown County Memoriiil Libr11ry, Georgero11rn, S.C. Josephine F. Wyman, The Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. Hope H. Grace, St. Mary's Count)' Historical Society, Leonardtown, Md. Peggy A. Haile, Noifolk Public Library S,.vsrem, Noifolk, Va. Miles Barnes, Eastern Short Public Library, Accomac, Va. Coreen Hallerbeck., Alb11n.v Institute ofHistory 11ndArt, Alban_v, N.Y. Charles E. Smith, Kansas Road, Box 286, MilbritWe, Me. Barbara P. Willis, Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Fredericksburg, Va. Barbara P. Andrews, Nantucket Atheneum Library, Nantucket, Mass. Elizabeth Evans, Georgia Historical Society, Sa1•annah, Ga. Arley L. MacDonald, Fairfield Historical Society, Fairfield, Conn. Dennis J. Adams, Be11u.fort County Libr11ry, Be11ufort, S.C. Alexia J. Haisley, South Carolina Department ofArchiJ>es and History, Colt.mbia, S.C. Dorothy Zaykowski, The John fermiiin Memorial Library, San H11rbor, N. Y. Lucille Showalter, The New London M11ritime Museum, .Neiv London, Conn. John Kilbourne, Society ofthe Cincinnati, Washington, D.C. Kay Demine, College of William and Mary Alumni Office, Williamsburg, Va. Florence Kern, author of11 series on the first reve11ue cutters, E.Wart01vn, Mass. Marcia J. Hodges, Brunnl'ick-Gl,.vnn Count_v Regional Library, Brunnl'ick, Ga. Natalie Anderson, Ipswich Public Libr11ry, Iprn>ich, Mass. Finally, notes of thanks to Margaret Boudren of the Customs Library at Headquarters who helped me to run down every lead that I was able to find. She, too, saved me countless steps and minutes. And to Patricia Coss of my Division, who took my raw manuscript and made it the work of art our colleagues so richly deserve. Michael N. In_grisano, Jr. Wasili'!!l"on, D.C.. Felm1ary 1987 2 The First Officers of The United States Customs Servi.ce At the end of the list is a States. He was succeeded almost n Act to regulate the Col­ notation that "Sharp Delaney, es­ immediately by William McPher­ A lection of the Duties im­ quire, is appointed Collector of the son. posed by law on the ton­ Port of Philadelphia; Frederick This study includes a copy of the nage of ships or vessels, and oi:i Philc, esquire, Naval-Officer, and original commission issued to goods, wares and merchandises im­ Samuel Meredith, esquire, Surveyor Richard Taylor of Virginia (father ported into the United States­ of the same." On the following day, of Zachary Taylor) who was named dated July 31, 1789-created the August 8, 1789, the newspaper the first Collector at the Falls of United States Customs Service. Sec­ printed the entire list of nominees. Ohio (now Louisville, Ky.) after tion 1 of that Act stipulated that The official commissions, signed Peyton Short refused the nomina­ "there shall be established and by the President and by the Secre­ tion. The copy was supplied by the appointed district, ports and tarv of State, Thomas Jefferson, present port director at Louisville, officers, in manner following, to were not issued until March 21, Arthur Trussell. wit: The State of New Hampshire 1791, making recordkeeping a bit The availability of biographical shall be one district to include the confusing. By that time, some of information about the 119 officers town of Portsmouth as the sole the first appointees had already left ranges from readily available to port of entry...." office either because of death or to practically nonexistent. Data about And so follows an entire litany of assume other positions. Therefore, the better known figures, such as States and ports. It became the · in a few cases, one will find in this Joseph Whipple, Benjamin Lincoln, responsibility of President George study two names for the same port: John Lamb and Sharp Delany were Washington to nominate and for the original appointee and his im­ readily available from our Biographi­ the Senate to approve Collectors, mediate successor. cal Directory ofthe U.S. Customs Naval Officers and Surveyors for For example, Samuel Meredith Service, Volume I. the 59 ports cited in the law. was the Surveyor at Philadelphia For men like Christopher Hillary In this document, the officers arc just a few months before he was and Cornelius Collins, gathering listed in the order in which they appointed Treasurer of the United information was more pure luck appear in the statute. To each is than historic research. Even after an added a brief biographical sketch of appeal to the local historic societies the individual who was nominated and public libraries, it was a ran­ and approved for the various posi­ dom selection from the book shelf tions. Each peer group is separated of local histories at the Library of by title with the Collectors leading Congress that yielded one entry the list, followed by the Naval from the Historic Collections ofthe Officers and Survevors. Joseph Habersham Chapter ofthe Many of the individuals applied DAR noting that Second Lieute­ for positions soon after President nant Christopher Hillary and First Washington took office on April Lieutenant Cornelius Collins were 30, 1789. The Pennsylvania Packet, charter members of the Georgia and Dai~y Advertiser for August 7, Society of the Cincinnati. 1789, included the Act creating Customs in its entiretv. Under a New York dateline ofAugust 4, the On August 7, 1789, The paper gave a partial list of Revenue Pennsylvania Packet, and Dailv Officers nominated by the Presi­ Advertiser printed the Act that· dent, and "advised and consented" established the U.S. Customs by the Senate. 3 The First Bank of the United States-Customs receipts Jliere deposited, here, 1791-1811 . Approximately 40 percent of the graduate of Harvard College, as The War took its toll on some of appointees had held similar posi­ were Epes Sargent IV, Willian1 the men. Nathaniel Wilkins lost his tions under the customs agencies in Watson and Nathaniel Fosdick. hand and was declared indigent and the original 11 States that had Yale contributed Jonathan Fitch unable to support himself. George ratified the Constitution in 1789. and Asher Miller. Princeton­ Bush died in office in 1797, re­ (North Carolina and Rhode Island Charles Lee, John Habersham and portedly from wounds suffered dur­ came in later; hence, the Customs William McPherson. ing the War; and General James officers in those States are not Numbered among the self­ MacCubbin Lingan, after spending included in this study.) educated were Generals Benjamin three and one-half years as a pris­ The most common title used by Lincoln and Otho Holland Wil­ oner of the British (he had been the States was "Searcher," and this liams. brutally bayonetted), had difficulty helped to complicate the research. Some were first generation An1er­ sleeping except in a sitting position. A few individuals, like Andrew icans. Lachlan Mcintosh, John Apparently, he had been confined Aggnew, Jacob Wray, John Lamb, Muir and John Davidson were born to a space so small that all he could John Davidson, and Frederick Phile in Scotland. Sharp Delany was Irish do was rest in that position. had served in the customs service and Lewis Frederick Delcsdenier Regardless of their war records, under the British system. For the was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, education, professions, ancestry, other 60 percent, it was the begin­ of Swiss immigrant parents. (His disabilities, religious affiliations ning of a new career in the first father was Swiss; his mother, Rus­ (Edward Pope was a Quaker and Federal enforcement agency. sian). Jedediah Huntington founded the Most were rewarded for their Others had lineages dating back An1erican Society of Missionaries) services during the Revolutionary to the Mayflower and the begin­ or political beliefs (William Pick­ War. John Ten Broeck recalled his nings of the colonies. Stephen man was a loyalist), all shared one experiences at Valley Forge and the Smith's maternal descendants did common thread: They were the visit by his old commander, the come over on the Mayfiower. John First Officers of the United States Marquis de Lafayette, in 1824. Pease was fiftl1 generation in Edgar­ Customs Service. Daniel Bedinger and General Jam es town, Mass.; and Stephen Cross Lingan bitterly remembered their was the third generation of his Michael N .