Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-12-29
DORMAN BR[DGMAN EATON.
Death of the Father of Civil Service
Reform Movement


Lawyer and Advocate Summer Resi- |
dent of BrattiebOrO.
Dorman Bridgman Eaton, one of the
most prominent advocates of civil service !
reform in this country and for the past 20
years a summer resident in Brattleboro,
died Saturday morning at his home East
10Th street, New York City. He had been
suffering from nervous prostration about
a month. Funeral services, conducted by
Rev. Thomas r. Silver, Mr.. Eaton's pastor
assisted by Rev. Robert Collyer, were held
at the house at $3.50 o'clock Sunday night,
after which the body was taken to Mont
pelier, where the burial took place Tues
day.
Mr.. Eaton was born at Hardwick, this
state. June n, 1928 He graduated from
the University of Vermont in 184S, and
from Harvard law school in 1850. He be-
gan the practice of his profession in New
York in partnership with the late Judge
William Kent, the author Of "Kents Com
mentares." For a number of years he
was the chairman of the committee on po-
litical reform of the Union League club,
and as such left his impress on the legisla-
ton of the day.
His first connection with the civil service
reform movement followed closely upon a
visit which he made in 1866 to Europe,
during which he gave considerable study
to the development of the civil service in
various countries. After his return TO New
York Mr.. Eaton took prominent part in
the movement which resulted in the crush
ing of the Tweed Ring, and as a conse-
quence of his work in behalf of good gov
eminent he was assaulted by one of the fol-
lowers of the Tammany Boss and so serious
ly injured that for several years he was I'M
able to practice.
During this time, however, Mr.. Eaton
gave himself up to the betterment of the
civil service, and in pursuing his studies in
this direction, he made an extended visit
to England. Returning home in 1878, he
was selected by President Grant as a men,
Der of the first National Civil Service com
mission. One of his colleagues was George
William Curtis. The opposition to the re-
form was so great that the labors of the
commission were almost nullifed by the
refusal of Congress to appropriate money
for carrying on the work, and in 1876 he
resigned.
In 1877, at the request of President
Hayes, Mr.. Eaton again visited England
for the purpose of preparing a historical
report upon the English civil service This
report was published by order of Congress,
and it is regarded as the foundation stone
of the present federal civil service system.
Later Mr.. Eaton prepared an elaborate re-
port, which was also printed by Congress,
upon the administration of the New York
post-office and custom house, and COM
pairing the results under the spoils system
with those attained under the merit sys-
tenn, which was then beginning to be en-
forced in those offices.
Mr.. Eaton TOOK prominent part in the
l.af &c Ill d., Al
cere effort to establish a federal civil SER
vice system-and President Arthur APP
pointed him as a member of the first COM
mission. He resigned in 1885, and was
reappointed in the same year by President
Cleveland. In April, 1886, feeling that he
had done his share in the establishment
of permanent merit system, Mr.. Eaton
handed his resignation to President Cleve-
land.
Although in private life Mr.. Eaton re.
tanned his interest in civil service reform
he was frequently called into consultation
with those who had charge of legislation
looking to that end. In recent years he
gave every manifestation of this interest
and was always willing to give his advice
and lend his aid to any project which
would advance the cause. In the numer
GUS lawsuits which grew out of the appli
cation of civil service laws, both fedora
and state, he frequently consulted with
the attorneys who appeared in behalf o.
these laws.
In addition to his work in behalf of civil
service reform, Mr.. Eaton was a close stu
dent of all municipal problems. In 1866 h,
drafted the law for creating metropolitan
board of health, and that establishing tn,
police courts of New York, and in 1877.
and 1875, at the solicitation of Joint com
mttee of the Senate and House of Rep
resentatives, he prepared a code of law
for the District of Columbia.
Mr.. Eaton was prominent member o
the Unitarian church, and was one of tn
organizers of the National conference O
that denomination. At the time of hi
death he was vice president of the Nation
al conference, and was a member of tn
conference of the Middle states and of th
American Unitarian association. He wa
member of the Church of All Souls il
New York.
Mr.. Eaton was the author of seyers
works on political and municipal subjects
Among them are "The Independent Move
ment in New York." "Civl Service il
Great Britain" and number of treatise
on law. He was also frequent contrib
utor to the magazines and reviews. H
was a member of the Union League, Cit
and Century clubs, the Association of tn
Bar, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, an
the New England society. He married i
1856 Miss Annie s. Foster, who survive
him.
Everett p Wheeler, who was intereste
with Mr.. Eaton in his efforts to secure tn
merit system as permanent institution il
the nation and state, in speaking of MI
Eaton said: "Mr. Eaton was one of tn
first to take up the study of civil servic
reform, and his interest in it never fiagge
up to the day of his DEATH Realizing tina
the application of the principle woul
arouse intense opposition among polit
clans, who had long looked upon politics
offices as their legitimate spoils, he wa
disposed to be conservative Others VIII
were associated with him wanted the en-
tire federal service to be placed upon
merit basis at once, but he opposed thi
policy and advocated the extension of th
system slowly.
sin this he showed his wisdom, and hi
advice, followed out, in large measur,
has contributed greatly to the present statu
OF the merit system. He was easily Oh
pioneer in the application in systemat
fashion of the English civil system. IntI
movement which resulted in the enact
ment of the state civil service laws M
Eaton took great deal of interest, and h