St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-22
IN OFFICE HALF A CENTURY.
Some Old Hen Who Began to Serve
Uncle Sam so Years Ago and
are at WIorIc To-day.
Uoeb;nDton 7 a++ar

Uncle Sam so Years A1o and
at WorIc To-day.
Washington Letter.
Fifty years ago the present month, April,
James Lawrenson Of Maryland received an
appoin tment to. $500 clerkship in the post
Office department. He celebrated the semi
centennial Of his service by taking half hol-
liday from his desk in the dead letter office
and receiving the congratulations of his
friends. lie was clerk in the postoffice at
Baltimore for ten years before he came to
Washington, so that he has been in the en-
ployment Of the government for sixty years
and in age as well as length of service is the
Oldest of Uncle Sans hired men. During
nearly quarter of a century Mr.. Lawren-
son acted in the capacity Of correspondent
for the Baltimore Sun, and has the addition :
honor OF being the oldest Journalist in Wash
ington. He is still in good health, and able
TO regularly perform the duties of his office,
although discipline is u little relaxed in his
favor
William 7. Barry was postmaster-general
when Lawrenson came in, and Andrew jack
son was president. Before Barry's time the
postofice department was considered merely
bureau as the Agricultural Department and
Government Printing Offices are now, but
jackson invited him to seat in the Cabinet
in defiance of precedent, and against the
protests Of John G. Calhoun, who was secre-
tary of state and a great stickler for etiquette.
The only authority the postmaster general
has for a seat in the executive chamber is A.
Jacks on's invitationto Barry. Seventy clerks
did the the post Office department business
in those days, and three men were assigned
to the mail morgue. 1t requires over one
hundred now to open read, return, or de-
stroy the dead letters that come in at the
rate of two million year.
Uucle Jimmy Mari, the venerable chief
clerk of the First Assistant Postmaster-Gen
eral ante-dates Lawrenson's service by three
years, having been appointed to cerkships
goth of June, 1881. There are also several
pOstmasters who hold commissions older
than his, although, including his service in
the Baltimore Post Office, Lawrenson heads
the list OF veterans. Lindley Mure, the ven
cradle old negro who sits at the mahogany
door which leads to a beautiful office of the
secretary of the navy, comes second with a
service of Sc years having been appointed in
1928 by Samuel Southland: and the third on
the list is the Hon. William Hunter, second
assistant secretary of state. A clerkships
was given to him by Martin Van Buren, in
1929 and lie has been promoted from time to
time. He reached his present position I'M
der Johnson's administration, and Mr.. Mari
is the fourth on the list. There are a num-
Der of clerks in the departments who have
seen forty and some have seen forty-tive
years of service.
The oldest postmaster is Roswell Beardsley
of North Lansing, Tompkins county New
York, whose commission bears the date of
June % 1928. Postmaster Stabler of Sandy
Springs, Md, was appointed few months
before Beardsley, but he died year ago
John Bowdish of Rural Grove, Montgomery
county, New York, was appointed postmas-
ter on Dec. 10 1880, and now occupies the
same Office in which he opened his first mail
more than tiftythree years ago. During this
time he has received the princely salary of
$93 year: and Administrations have come
and gone, political parties have risen and
died of decay, but he has never failed to draw
his quarterly allowance Of $23, 331%.
A surprising case is that of George Hilton,
who was appointed Postmaster at South Par
sonsfield, York county, Maine on the 9th of
December, 1880. His salary was $35 year
during this time, but at the end of the fifty
second year of his service he resigned the
Office with all of its honors and emoluments,
and asked as special favor that Alpheus s..
Hilton, his son, a youth of sixtyfour sum-
mers, might be appointed in his stead.
Uncle Jimmy Mari is orthodox in his re-
ligious belief, and was once discussing
theology with Col Ingersoll The latter told
him he couldn't see how he'll could have
any terrors for a man who had been in the
Post Office department for ffty-three years. u