St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-05-21
CIVIL SERVICE VETERANS.

1uO SOoolpy w oOh correspondent
''Miss Grundy," gives the Louisville Cour-
ier-J ournal an interesting sketch of the
civil service veterans in the departments at
the national capital. The oldest one
in continuous service is GoLDsBoRoU CHI
BRUFF, the venerable draughtsman in the
treasury department. whose connection with
the government commenced in 1918. When
a boy Ia years old he made map for the
use of the first United States expedition
west of the Mississippi. Although he is
now in his S1st year Mr.. BRUFF
still executes without glasses as fine pen
work as anyone can do. Next to MI.
BRUFF in continuous service is LINDSEY
MUSE, the colored chief messenger of the
navy department., who has been in office
since 1928. LINDsEY's memory is good
and he is in possession of all his facul-
ties; but, of course, gets tired more easily
than he used to do, so is allowed to go home
before the regular department hours are
over. Mr.. MORAN, one of the clerks in the
same department., has been there nearly
as long as LINDSEY MUSE. Mr.. WILL
LIAM. HUNTER, now second assistant
secretary of state, was first appointed
clerk in the state department
in 1929, and has served in that department
longer than any other now there in any ca
pacity. Mr.. HUNTER has filed various po-
sitions in the state department during his
long service. From 1888 to 1S4S he was
chief of the bureau in charge of rela-
lions with Spanish America and Brazil;
acting claims clerk, Oct 1, 1S4S; claims
clerk, March 2, 1s49; chief clerk. May
TO- 1852; commissioned assistant secre-
tary, May s, 1855, with the under
standing that on the appointment of an
other to that place he should resume the
position from which he was promoted,
which he did the following November. He
was designated assistant secretary ad in
term in December, 1860, and was commits
stoned second assistant secretary July 81,
1866, and has held that Office ever since.
In the war department proper Mr.. LEE
has had the longest continuous service COM
mencing in 1851, and is now only third
class clerk. In the postoffice department
Judge LAwRENsoN is the veteran, having
been appointed to duty in that department
by Gen. JACKSON in 1884. He had pre-
yiously been clerk in the Baltimore post
office for fifteen years, which carries his
first government duty back to 1929. He has
sworn into Office twenty-threo pOStmasters
general. He was also justice of the
peace, and as such had authority to adj
minister oaths, un til the number of justices
of the peace in the District of Columbia
was limited by act of congress. But the
same law authorized the president of the
United States to appoint as many notaries
public as he pleased, and Mr.. KEY, then
postmaster general, had Judge LAwREN-
SON appointed the first under this law by
President HAYES, so Judge LAwRENsoN
has continued to administer oaths to post
masters general and others as he has done
since first appointed justice of the peace in
1S41. MI. MARI, the chief clerk
in the office of the first as
sistant postmaster general, has served
nearly as long as Judge LAwRENsoN,
In the interior department the oldest Off
cial is BENJAMIN Z. REILLY who is older
in length of service than the department it
self, for he was clerk in the general land
office when it was bureau of the treasury
department. He has been continuously in
service in the land Office since 1888, whereas
the interior department was not organized
until 1S49. In the department of justice
the three veterans are COLEMAN, the col
ored messenger, JOHNSON. who runs the
elevator, and Mr.. BENTLEY, the librarian.
They began service in 1868.
The veteran at the capitol by long odds is
Capt. BAssETT, the assistant doorkeeper of
the senate, very notwithstanding gentle
man, with long, snowy-white beard and
white hair. Visitors to the capitol when
the senate is in session will see him sitting
on the left of the presiding officer. and al
ways at his left hand is the senates official
snuff box, which it is his duty to keep full
His other duties are to announce the arrival
of message from the president
of the United States and to carry
the boxes containing the electoral
votes from the senate to the house of repre-
sentatives when the vote for president and
vice president is to be counted in the pres
ence of congress. Capt. BAssETT COM
menced public life as page in the senate
fifty-four years ago, and has never been out
of the employ of that body since. He has a
gold and silver snuff box presented to him
by the senator's four years ago on the COM