The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-10-29
FIRST PRESIDENTS PAY
WAS $4,000 PER ANNUM
At Which Sum 1t Remained I'm
til 1873; Now $4,000 a Year

! M0rallStS IN george washington
day were not embarrassed by the fact
that there were corporation executives,
movie stars, baseball pitchers, home
run clouters and others who received
higher salary than that of the Pres
ident. There were no large corpor-
ations, no prizefghts, no baseball
heroes, no movie stars and while bus
mess men of the time may have had
higher commercial incomes, probably
no man received higher actual sal
airy than that of the President.
The Division of Information and
Publication of the United States
George Washington Bicentennial
Commission reminds US that Wash
ington's salary was fixed by the First
Congress of the United States at
$4,000, which was by far higher than
any other Government salary of the
time. Just to give us line on the
difference, the United States George
Washington Bicentennial Commission
has taken the trouble to learn the pre-
else salaries they paid all Govern
ment officials. Evidently, to judge by
this difference, Congress thought
Washington we'll worth whatever the
Government could afford to pay him.
This $4,000 was made the fixed
salary of President Washington by
the Act of September 4, 1889, later
confirmed as permanent legislation by
and Act of February IS, 1893, and for
eighty years $4,000 remained the
fixed salary of the Presidents. At the
end of that time, in 1878, Presidents
of the United States received some
thing of salary boost when the Act
of March 8, doubled their pay to $780,
900 year. There was no delay about
it, either. The raise was made effec-
tive on the following day, March 4.
The next pay increase was little
less long in coming. After thirty-six
years Congress lifted the Presidents
salary to it's present status at $751;
900, with the Act of March 4, 1909,
making William Howard Taft the first
President to benefit by the timely aid.
Curiously, the office of Vice-Presi-
dent seems always to have appeared
worth to Congress about one-fifth that
of the Presidency, from a salary
standpoint. The same Act of Con-
gress that fixed George Washington's
salary at $4,000, made that of John
Adams, as Vice-President, $4,000. To-
day the Vice-President receives $751;
900 year, against the Presidents
$75,0O0-still the one-fifth ratio.
In 1858, however, Congress became
generous and raised the Vice-Presi-
dents salary to $4,000, while still leav-
ing the Presidential salary at $25, 900.
In 1878, when the Presidents pay was
doubled to $4,000, the Vice President
was raised to $4,000, the old ratio of
one-ffth again. But in 1907 the Vice
President beat his chief to the next
and last salary-raise when Congress
awarded him $4,000. The Presidential
raise to $4,000, in 1909, left the Vice
President at pay ratio of less than
one-sixth, but in 1925 Congress cor
rected this and increased the Vice
President to his present rate of $751;
900.
Cabinet officers were, from the be-
ginning, let in on the ground floor. 1t
seems odd to look back and learn that
Secretary of State of the United
States once received salary that in
these days might be shifted at blythe
sub-assistant to the creditor manager
of a department store: Yet Thomas
Jefferson, our first Secretary of State,
was paid precisely $4,000. So was the
first man to hold the office now filled
by Andrew W. Mellon. The great
Alexander Hamilton drew down his
Sc, 500, and no more. AS for Wash
ington's Secretary of War, General
Knox, he was let down with a mere
$4,000. During Washington's Admin
istrations, the United States Attorney
Genarel had so little to do that it was
a part-time job, and its holder had to
rely on other sources of income.
The Cabinet which consisted of
these four original members in 1889
had become Cabinet of six in 1899.
By then the Secretaries of State and
the Treasury were raised to $4,000 a
year. The Secretaries of War and the
Navy got $4,000, and the Attorney
General and the Postmaster General
drew $4,000. In 1919 the Secretaries
of State, the Treasury, War and the
Navy were given $4,000. The Post
master General got a lift to $4,000.
But the Attorney General still was the |
poor member of the family, on sal |
airy of $500.
In 1853 Congress placed the entire |
Cabinet on an even basis at $4,000 a
year, and by then there was seventh |
member-the Secretary of the In
terror. In 1873, the year when the