The Collector of Customs at the Port of New York, most often referred to as Collector of the Port of New York, was a federal officer who was in charge of the collection of import duties on foreign goods that entered the United States by ship at the Port of New York.

In addition to its control of import duties, the office controlled and distributed a large number of lucrative federal jobs, making it among the most important political patronage positions in the United States government. Disputes over control of the office, particularly between the President and United States Senators from New York, who traditionally advised on political appointments within the state, were a key aspect of the national debate over civil service reform in the nineteenth century.

The best-known individual to hold the position was Chester A. Arthur, who served as collector from 1871 to 1878 and who later served as the 21st president of the United States.

History The first Collector, John Lamb, was appointed by George Washington in 1789. He had previously served as Collector of Customs for the State of New York from 1784.

The office was described as "the prize plum of Federal patronage not only in this State but perhaps in the country, outside of positions in the Cabinet." Customs collections at US ports were overseen by three political appointees—the Collector, Surveyor, and Naval Officer. Because they were originally paid based on a percentage system that factored in both customs collected and fines levied for those who attempted to evade payment, these appointments were very lucrative, especially those at the Port of New York, by far America's busiest port. New York's Collector was the highest paid official of the federal government; as Collector from 1871 to 1878, Chester A. Arthur's compensation exceeded the modern equivalent of $1 million annually. The custom house staffs, especially at New York's Custom House were also political appointees, and were expected to contribute a portion of their salaries to the party to which they owed their appointments.

Disputes over patronage at the Port of New York led to an ongoing feud from the 1860s to the 1880s between the party faction led by Roscoe Conkling and reformers who counted Rutherford B. Hayes and James A. Garfield among their number. The attempts at reform that began in the 1870s led to the political appointees at each port being placed on salaries rather than the percentage system. The annual salary in 1920 was $12,000 (about $153,000 in 2019) plus about $8,000 in fees (about $102,000 in 2019).

The position was abolished in 1966 when the structure of the United States Customs Service was changed. The last Collector, Joseph P. Kelly, was kept on temporarily as a consultant.

List of collectors

Portrait Collector Nominated by Start date End date Comments 1 George Washington 1789 1797 2 John Adams 1797 1801 Confirmed May 19, 1797 3 Thomas Jefferson 1801 1820 4 James Monroe 1820 1829 5 Andrew Jackson 1829 1838 Confirmed March 29, 1830. 6 Martin Van Buren 1838 1841 7 1841 1841 8 William Henry Harrison 1841 1844 N/A John Tyler - - Rejected by the U.S. Senate 9 1844 1845 10 James K. Polk 1845 1849 11 Zachary Taylor 1849 1853 N/A Franklin Pierce - - Declined nomination 12 1853 1853 13 1853 1857 Resigned July 1, 1857 14 James Buchanan 1857 1861 15 Abraham Lincoln 1861 1864 Resigned 16 1864 1865 17 Andrew Johnson 1865 1865 Committed suicide N/A N/A 1865 1866 Acting 18 Andrew Johnson 1866 1869 19 Ulysses S. Grant 1869 1870 20 1870 1871 21 1871 1878 N/A Rutherford B. Hayes - - Rejected by U.S. Senate 22 1878 1881 23 James A. Garfield 1881 1885 Nominated March 24, 1881 24 Grover Cleveland 1885 1886 25 1886 1889 26 Benjamin Harrison 1889 1891 27 1891 1891 28 1891 1893 29 Grover Cleveland 1893 1897 Died in office 30 William McKinley 1897 1902 31 Theodore Roosevelt 1902 1907 Resigned due to ill health N/A N/A 1907 1907 Acting 32 Theodore Roosevelt 1907 1909 33 William Howard Taft 1909 1913 34 Woodrow Wilson 1913 1913 Elected Mayor of New York City 35 1913 1917 36 1917 1921 37 Warren G. Harding 1921 1922 Died in office N/A N/A 1922 1923 Acting 38 Calvin Coolidge 1923 1933 39 Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933 1953 40 Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953 1961 41 John F. Kennedy 1961 1966 NEW IMPOST CHIEF; Kelly Sworn as Port's 41st Collector of Customs in The New York Times on July 6, 1961 (subscription required)

See also Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Roscoe Conkling

Notes

References

External links Department of the Treasury. Customs Service. Collection District of New York. Port of Entry, New York,. 7/31/1789-1927