Evening star., 1950-04-23
Census Bureau Had Many Homes

Congress did not provide for a
permanent Census Bureau until
legislation was being enacted for
taking the 18th census In 1900.
President William Mckinley. on
March 3. 1899. signed the bill es-
tablishing a Census Bureau In the
Department of the Interior. and
which. among several things. pro-
vided that the chief officer be the
director of the census. instead of
superintendent as formerly. to be
!. appointed by the President and
confirmed by the Senate.
From purely economical stand
point, this was one of the best
laws Congress ever passed. and
since the establishment Of this
bureau 81 years ago, it has not
only saved the Government mil
lions of dollars, but has kept to-
gether corps of experts unsur-
passed in any other branch Of
Uncle Sans service.
No doubr the 18th census got
off to better start than did those
conducted in previous years. for
it was at this time that Matthew
G. Emery erected on B street be-
tween First and Second. a build
ing especially equipped for the
purpose.
Building Mode to Order
In his story of the First Rail-
road Into Washington" Washing
ton Topham has this to say re-
garding the building erected for
the Census Bureau by Mr.. Emery:
"At the close of the year 1899
the first home in the history of
the country that the Census Bu-
reau ever had was erected on
square SAT, between First and Sec
ord streets and B street and Indi-
ana avenue. on property owned
and occupied by the Baltimore g.
Ohio Railroad Co. in 1885.
"Mr. Matthew G. Emery had
purchased this property from the
railroad company in the early sos,
and constructed the building in
accordance with plans approved by
the director of the census. 1t was
the home of the 18th census of
1900, as we'll as that of the census
kof 1910.
THE Emery building was also
occupied by the judicial depart
ment of the District of Columbia
for nearly three years, from No
vember 13, 1916, to the fall of 1919,
while the old City Hall or Court
house was undergoing reconstruc-
tion and repairs"
Office Moved Around
The home of the seventh census,
taken in 1850. according to the
city directory. was on the west side
OF Eighth street between E and F,
but just In what building the
writer is unable to say. Joseph C.
G. Kennedy was the superintend-
ent Of the census at that time, and
the bureau was under the Depart
ment of the Interior.
The Offices of the next census of
1860 occupied the Patent Office
Building at Seventh and F streets.
Joseph c. G. Kennedy was again
superintendent and Hallet Kill
bourn the chief clerk. 1t was Kill
bourn who. together with Adolph
Cluss and Alexander r. Shepherd.
built the three stone residences
on the north side of X street be-
tween Seventeenth street and
Connecticut avenue, the corner
house to the west being occupied
by Gov. Shepherd. Later 1t was
the home of Washington Mclean
and subsequently became the pro-
perty Of William F. Draper, United
States Ambassador to Italy. It was
here that Margaret Draper, the
Ambassadors daughter, and Prince
Boncompagni were married in the
great ballroom of the house
shortly before World War I, the
ceremony being performed by
Cardinal Gibbons, who came from
Baltimore especially to pronounce
the VOWS to the couple.
Defied Congress
Hallet Kilbourn was one of the
few men up to then to defy Con-
gress and get away with it. He
successfully appealed to higher
courts for release from prison
when he had been committed for
refusal to give the names of per-
!; sons in real estate pool. Later
on, after several trials, he even
recovered damages from the
sergeant at arms for his arrest
; and incarceration. Judge Job
: Barnard. reviewing this case be-
!; fore the Columbia Historical So
ciety in 1918. had this to say:
Mr.. Kilbourn had been sum-
moned before special committee
of the House of Representatives in
March, 1875, as a witness and de-
! clined tn ANSWER certain o,Ies-