Collector of the Port of New York
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.
The best-known individual to hold the position was Chester A. Arthur, who served as collector from 1871–1878 and who later served as the 21st President of the United States.
History
The first Collector, John Lamb, was appointed by the Congress of the Confederation in 1784. Afterwards, the Collectors were appointed by the U.S. President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.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 plus about $8,000 in fees.
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 as a consultant some time after.
Others
The customs collection districts include the Collector of the Port of Newark and Collector of the Port of Perth Amboy. They became the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.List of Collectors
Portrait | Number | Collector | Nominated by | Start date | End date | Comments |
1 | Congress of the Confederation | 1784 | 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 | Martin Van Buren | 1841 | 1841 | |||
8 | William Henry Harrison | 1841 | 1844 | |||
N/A | John Tyler | - | - | Rejected by the U.S. Senate | ||
9 | John Tyler | 1844 | 1845 | |||
10 | James K. Polk | 1845 | 1849 | |||
11 | Zachary Taylor | 1849 | 1853 | |||
N/A | Franklin Pierce | - | - | Declined nomination | ||
12 | Franklin Pierce | 1853 | 1853 | |||
13 | Franklin Pierce | 1853 | 1857 | Resigned July 1, 1857 | ||
14 | James Buchanan | 1857 | 1861 | |||
15 | Abraham Lincoln | 1861 | 1864 | Resigned | ||
16 | Abraham Lincoln | 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 | Ulysses S. Grant | 1870 | 1871 | |||
21 | Ulysses S. Grant | 1871 | 1878 | |||
N/A | Rutherford B. Hayes | - | - | Rejected by U.S. Senate | ||
22 | Rutherford B. Hayes | 1878 | 1881 | |||
23 | James A. Garfield | 1881 | 1885 | Nominated March 24, 1881 | ||
24 | Grover Cleveland | 1885 | 1886 | |||
25 | Grover Cleveland | 1886 | 1889 | |||
26 | Benjamin Harrison | 1889 | 1891 | |||
27 | Benjamin Harrison | 1891 | 1891 | |||
28 | Benjamin Harrison | 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 | Woodrow Wilson | 1913 | 1917 | |||
36 | Woodrow Wilson | 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 |