Omaha daily bee., 1884-05-03
IN OFFICE HAlEA CEN FURY.
Some Old Men Who Btgnn TO Serve
Uncld Sam Fifty Years Ago,


WASHINGTON, ID. Co., April Fifty
years age to-day, James Lswrenson OF
Maryland, received an appointment to q
$500 clerkship in the clerkship in the
Post-ofice Department. He celebrated
the semi. centennial of his service by TAX
ing a half holiday from This desk In the
Dead Letter Office, and receiving he con-
CALCULATIONS of his friends. He was a
clerk in the Post Office at Baltimore for
years before he came to Washington, so
that he has been in the employee of the
government for sixty years and in age
as we'll as length of service is the Oldest
of Uncle Sans hired men. During near
ly a quarter of a century Mr.. Lawrenson
acted in the capacity of correspondent
for the Baltimore Sun, and has the addi-
tional honor of being the oldest journal
ist in Washington. He is still in good
health and able to regularly perform the
duties of his office, although discipline is
a little relaxed in his favor.
VIM, 7. Berry was Postmaster tten-
eral when L%awrenson came in, n An
drew jackson was President. Before
Berry's time the Postofics Department
Printing Office are now, but Jackson IN
vited him to a seat in the cabinet IN ae-
fance of presidents and against the
protests of John @. Calhoun, who was
Secretary of State and a great stickier
for etiquette. The only authority the
Postmaster. General has for a seat in the
Executive Chamber lis Andrew Js.ckson's
invitation to Barry, Seventy clerks did
the Postofice Department in those days,
and three men were assigned to the mall
morpue, 1t requires over 1000 now to
open, read, return, or destroy the dead
letters that come in at the rate of 2,O0O,-
600, q year.
Uncle Jimmy Mari, the venerable
chief clerk of the First Assistant Pest
master.G General. antedates Lawrenson's
service by three years, having been APP
pointed to a clerkship on the 10th OF
June 1881. There are also several Post
masters who hold commissions older than
his, although, Including his service in the
Baltimore postofiice, Lawrenson heaas
the list OF veterans. Lindley Mure, the
venerable old negro who sits at the ma
hogmy door which leads to the beautiful
office of the Secretary of the Navy,
second, with a service of ffty-six years,
having been appointed in 1928 by Sam
uel Southland; and the third on the list
is the Hon. William Hunter, Second
Assistant Secretary of State. A clerk
ship was given to him by Martin Van
Bureu in 1929, and he has been promot-
ed from time to time. He reached his
present position under John
sons administration, and MIR. Mari is the
fourth on the list. There are a number
of clerks in the departments who have
seen forty, and some have seen forty-hve
years of service :.
The oldest Postmaster is Roswell
Beardsley of North Lansing, Tomklns
county, N. Y, whose mission bears the
date of June %, 1928. Postmaster Stab
Ter of Sandy Springs, Md, was appoint
ed a few months before Beardsley, but he
died a year ago. John Bowdish of Rural
Grove, Montgomery County, N. Y, was
appointed Postmaster on December 10,
1880, and now occupies the same office
in which he opened his first mail more
than ffty-three years ago. During this
time he has received the princely salary
of 500 a year; and administrations have
come and gone, political parties have ris-
en- and died Of decay, but he has never
failed to draw his quarterly allowance
of 1923 33a.
A surprising case is that of George Hill
ton, who was appointed postmaster at
South Parsonfield, York County, Me-,
ON the 9th of December, 1880. His sal
airy was $50 a year during this time, but
at the end of the ffty-second year Of his
service he resigned the Office with all the
its honors and emoluments, and asked as
a special favor that Alphous H. Hilton,
his son, a youth of sixty-four SUNNI ers,
might be appointed in his stead.
Uncle Jimmy Mari is orthodox in his
religious belief, and was once discussing
theology with Colonel Ingersoll. The lat
ter told him he couldn't see how hell
could have any terrors for a man who
had been in the Postoffice Department
for ifty.three years."