Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-27
FIRST ISSUED IN 1917
Before Then Simple Lists Were Kept
of Government Employees.
ONLY $50 NAMES AT ONE TIME
In 1905 Four Thousand Pages Were
Printed, Covering All Depart
ments-Later Editions.

lore 1911 the germ of the publication had
been appearing for over twenty wears in
the shape OF simple lists Of government
clerks transmitted TO Congress by the
secretaries, but in that year provision was
made for issuing regularly a comple,.
register. This work, containing the name,
or department, bureau and other em-
ployes, grew with the departments until
1909 Then il was seen that by a reduc-
ton in size an improvement would he
made, and in the next issue for 1907 tho
general index and other matter were
eliminated and the paper used was thin.
making two volumes of about 80 pages
each, and it has proven more satisfac-
tory than for some years
There was time when the blue bool,
was OF convenient size for the pocket.
though containing a full roster. but il
grew from a few pages in the public
documents TO the size above noted.
First List in 1898.
During Washington's administration me
Secretaries of State, Treasury and War
Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton
and Henry Knox. transmitted the names
or their clerks to Congress. and in 1Tas
Secretary Hamilton forwarded to Con-
sress a general list of clerks. agents and
employees on the government rolls This
latter. being printed. was the first blue
DOCK or register. The government was
then in Philadelphia, and in the three de-
paitments there We're less than $50 names
two-thirds being in the Treasury. The lat
Ter department had but five bureaus the
controllers. registers. auditors, internal
revenue and treaSurer's offices-and some
clerks appear as serving parts of a year
IN oinerent onces, and as compensation
Nh eYfx
and clerks. Quite a number appear on
the rolls after the government moved to
washington in 1900. some as chief clerks
or bureau officers OF the Treasury clerks
daniel Brent became chief clerk of the
state Department. E. Jones, s. Brooks.
Joseph NOurse, register: Joseph Dawson.
W. James. Gervas Hall. John Woodside.
Joseph Stretch. Joseph Burchan. Ezra
Forman. c. Tomkins and William Sim
mons. with others, came here with the
government. None Of the six in the State
Department then. II. Remsen. G. Taylor.
j. Blackwell. w. Lambert. G. Pfeiffer
william Doughty. C. s. Thorn. s
Pleasanton and Jacob Wagner. who en-
tered the department later, came from
Philadelphia. The War Department force
included Constant Freeman. for many
years an auditor: j. Stage. r. J. Vanden
BROCK, Z. Swami. 3. Bankson, p. Aude-
bert. n. Jones. J. b. Smith and c. l..
Cummings of the Secretary's office; J.
II.
Jefferson, Joseph Laurence. \. Knitting.
j. Parker and B. HARRISON were of the
pay office and p. Farrell, John Crawford
G. Evans. iona Smith. J. Knapp. J. Lock-
wood, A. Ernest. D. Parker. w David
son. James Blake. c. Patton. A. Forst.
A. Benstead, +. Fleetwood and s. Potts
were accountants engaged in settling with
the states. Messrs. BetteTton and Knapp
moved from Philadelphia, as did Peter
Hagner. afterward auditor. and Paul Far
relI, and some family names being con-
tinued preserved these names.
President Jefferson's List.
In 1902 Mr.. Jefferson sent TO Congress.
a tabular statement giving names of
department and bureau officers and the
classification of clerks. and another with
the names, the number being. With
messengers and Office keepers. less than
80. The Navy Department had been
established four years before. but other
wise there had been little change in the
organization OF the departments.
From time to time. through the PreSi-
dent. lists of the clerks were transmitted
to Congi ess by the secretaries, but It
was not till December 1917, that the regu-
lar publication of an official register or
blue book took place. Under resolution
of Congress approved April -. 1916 the
publication of register under the COM
pilation of the Secretary of State was
directed once in two years. This was
directed to be made up of the lists of all
officers and agents, civil, military and
naval. the secretaries to furnish them
and 800 copies ordered to be printed and
distributed. This was small book OF
about 300 pages. the larger number de
voted to the postmasters. and explicitly
the allowance was given from three
cents in year to n New Hampshire
postmaster up to the salaried officers.
The departments had improved organiza
ton in the division of work. the Treas
ury provided with five auditors, two CON
trollers and the land office. Under the
War Department the Indian trade bust
ness was conducted by six clerks In
Georgetown. There were now about %
clerks, etc. the Treasury numbering ia,
State twelve. War twenty-eght Navy
fifteen, Post ONCE twenty-six. A num-
Der Of those who were on the list In 1893
were then in service as well az some who
took office before the government came
here - Messrs. Brent and Jones of the
former, and Hagner, Nourse Woodside
and Rittenhouse of the latter.
Miscellaneous Employees.
The resolution of. July Il. 1892, provided
that the register include a list of all
printers employed by Congress the
departments and contractors for carrying
the mails, lists of presidents. cashiers
and directors Of the banks of the United
States and branches. The register of
1885 contained near jstO pages, averaging
80 lines about 1jO being devoted to tn"
depa rtments. 81 to Congress. etc. ami
nearly go TO post Offices Tho state De-
partment had 20 clerks in diplomatic:
consular and home bureaus and but =
in the patent office.
Tire Treasury force remained about the
same with the addition of solicitor
office % clerks, and, with the customs.
lighthouse and land business. ~ pages
we're required for its roster.
Forty pages are devoted to the War
Department. The Secretarys office had .
clerks, the bounty lana - pension IL,
Indian q emi grafton OF Indians Z, quar-
termaster'S -. ordnance =. pay &. sub
sstence 3. surgeon generals J. adlJtam
generals -: The enumeration Of the Of
ficers of the twelve regular regiments.
the ordnance, etc, make the bulk of tie
departments record.
over thirty pages are required for the
Navy Department. Nine clerks were in
the Secretary's Office and 4 under the
navy commissioners, CommodOres Rod
gers Chauncey and Morris.
Some Famous Names.
Appended over thousand officers are
enumera ted and not the least interesting
in both the army and navy lists are the
names of junior officers which afterward
were written indelibly on the countrys
roll Of heroes Meigs, w. I. Sherman.
p V Hagner, Benham. Dyer. Townsend.
Bragg, Sibley, Beaureaard then being
cadets at West Point and Amy. Craven.