Collector of the Port of Buffalo

Collector of the Port of Buffalo

U.S. federal government appointment overview
Formed	1805
Dissolved	1965
Type	Collector of import duties on foreign goods
Jurisdiction	Port of Buffalo
Parent department	United States Department of the Treasury

The Collector of Customs at the Port of Buffalo, most often referred to as Collector of the Port of Buffalo, sometimes referred to as Buffalo Creek,^[1] 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 Buffalo.

History

United States Custom House, Buffalo, Washington and Seneca Streets, 1901

Buffalo Creek was made a Port of Entry in 1805 by President Thomas Jefferson.^[2] On March 11, 1811, President James Madison issued a proclamation removing the port of entry for the Buffalo district to Black Rock (which was not a part of Buffalo at the time),^[a] in pursuance of an act of Congress dated March 2, 1811, which provided that "the office of the Collector of Customs for the District of Buffaloe Creek shall be kept at such place or places in the town of Buffalo as President of the United States shall designate."^[2][4] In 1817, Forward, as Collector of the Port, was authorized by the Treasury Department to purchase a site for a light house. Forward negotiated with Joseph Ellicott, agent of the Holland Land Company, to purchase the property near the outlet of the Buffalo Creek for $350.^[5]

In August 1965, it was announced that the Buffalo Customs District was enlarged under President Lyndon B. Johnson's national reorganization plan to include the Toronto Airport and the ports of Buffalo and Niagara Falls. The two U.S. ports were consolidated and became known as "Buffalo-Niagara Falls". Additionally, the Buffalo district absorbed the Rochester Customs District which included the ports of Rochester, Oswego, Sodus Point, Syracuse and Utica.^[6] The Buffalo Customs District became part of the Boston region. In the reorganization, the collectors, who were appointed by the president, were abolished and replaced by port directors under a district director.^[6]

List of collectors

• (1804–1812) Erastus Granger; appointed by Thomas Jefferson^[7][8] (Callender Irvine was appointed in February 1804 but declined)^[9][7]
• (1812–1822) Oliver Forward;^[b] appointed by James Madison;^[10][5]
• (1822–1829) Myndert M. Dox; appointed by James Monroe^[11][12][13]
• (1829–1838) Pierre A. Barker; appointed by Andrew Jackson^[14][15]
• (1838–1842) George W. Clinton; appointed by Martin Van Buren^[16]
• (1842–1845) Jedediah Hyde Lathrop; appointed by John Tyler^[17]
• (1845–1849) Henry W. Rogers; appointed by James K. Polk^[18][19]
• (1850–1851) Levi Allen; appointed by Zachary Taylor^[20][21]
• (1851–1854) William Ketchum, appointed by Millard Fillmore^[22]
• (1854–1858) John T. Hudson, appointed by Franklin Pierce^[20]
• (1858–1861) Warren Bryant; appointed by James Buchanan^[23][24][25]
• (1861–1865) Christian Metz Jr.; appointed by Abraham Lincoln
• (1865–1867) Charles Davis Norton; appointed by Andrew Johnson^[26][27]
• (1867–1869) Joseph K. Tyler; appointed by Andrew Johnson^[28][20]
• (1869–1870) Samuel J. Holley; appointed by Ulysses S. Grant^[29][30][31]
• (1870–1877) Rodney W. Daniels; appointed by Ulysses S. Grant^[32][33][34]
• (1877–1881) John Tyler; appointed by Rutherford B. Hayes^[35]
• (1881–1885) Charles A. Gould, appointed by Chester A. Arthur^[36]
• (1885–1889) Arthur D. Bissell, appointed by Grover Cleveland^[37]
• (1889–1893) William J. Morgan, appointed by Benjamin Harrison
• (1893–1897) Peter C. Doyle; appointed by Grover Cleveland^[38][39]
• (1897–1906) Henry W. Brendel; appointed by William McKinley^[40][41]
• (1906–1914) Fred O. Murray; appointed by Theodore Roosevelt^[42][43][44]
• (1914–1918) George Bleistein; appointed by Woodrow Wilson^[45]
• (1918–1922) George G. Davidson Jr.; appointed by Woodrow Wilson^[46]
• (1922–1934) Fred A. Bradley; appointed by Warren G. Harding^[47][48]
• (1934–1935) William J. O'Brian; appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt^[49]
• (1936–1944) Martin O. Bement; appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt^[50][51]
• (1945–1954) Ross E. Brown; appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt^[52][53]
• (1954–1962) Harold R. Becker; appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower^[54][55]
• (1962–1965) Frank A. Sedita; appointed by John F. Kennedy^[56]

References

Notes

1. Black Rock was twice burned to the ground by the British during the War of 1812 and, in 1839, it was incorporated as a town. In 1853, the City of Buffalo annexed the town of Black Rock.^[3]
2. Oliver Forward (1781–1834), was a brother of U.S. Representatives Walter Forward and Chauncey Forward.^[5]

Citations

1. "APPOINTMENTS IN THE REVENUE.Appointments made by and with the advice and consent of the Senate". Charleston Daily Courier. June 29, 1822. p. 2. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
2. Hill, Henry Wayland (1923). Municipality of Buffalo, New York: A History, 1720-1923. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 109. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
3. Black Rock Village, 1795-1854: History & Genealogy: A guide from The Buffalo History Museum
4. Johnson, Crisfield (1876). Centennial History of Erie County, New York: Being Its Annals from the Earliest Recorded Events to the Hundredth Year of American Independence. Higginson Book Company. pp. 178–179. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
5. Sheldon, James (1875). The Life and Public Services of Oliver Forward : Read Before the Buffalo Historical Society, January 25, 1875. Buffalo, New York: Press of Warren, Johnson & co. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
6. "Buffalo District Of Customs Bureau Will Be Expanded". The Buffalo News. August 18, 1965. p. 43. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
7. "APPOINTMENTS Made by the President during the recess, and confirmed by the Senate". The Evening Post. February 20, 1804. p. 3. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
8. "Erastus Granger to Thomas Jefferson, 8 December 1809". founders.archives.gov. Founders Online, National Archives. Retrieved January 20, 2023. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, vol. 2, 16 November 1809 to 11 August 1810, ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005, pp. 59–60.]
9. "APPOINTMENTS Made by the President during the recess, and confirmed by the senate". Aurora General Advertiser. February 20, 1804. p. 2. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
10. "OLIVER FORWARD". Buffalo Gazette. April 29, 1812. p. 3. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
11. "Appointments in the Revenue". Alexandria Gazette. June 27, 1822. p. 2. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
12. "DIED". The Evening Post. September 15, 1830. p. 2. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
13. "From James Madison to Myndert M. Dox, 21 June 1816". founders.archives.gov. Founders Online, National Archives. Retrieved January 19, 2023. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, Presidential Series, vol. 11, 1 May 1816–3 March 1817, ed. J. C. A. Stagg, Mary Parke Johnson, Katharine E. Harbury, and Anne Mandeville Colony. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2020, p. 95.]
14. "Appointments by the President". Vermont Republican and American Journal. Windham, Windsor and Orange County Advertiser. May 9, 1829. p. 3. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
15. "A Directory for the Village of Buffalo" (PDF). Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
16. "Geo. W. Clinton Collector of the Port of Buffalo". Democratic Free Press. July 27, 1842. p. 1. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
17. "Washington Correspondence". Boston Post. September 3, 1842. p. 1. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
18. "Collector of Buffalo". The Daily National Pilot. April 22, 1845. p. 3. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
19. "HENRY W. ROGERS". The Buffalo Daily Republic. July 29, 1857. p. 2. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
20. Senate, United States Congress (1887). Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America. Order of the Senate of the United States. pp. 152, 203, 747. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
21. Scarry, Robert J. (February 10, 2001). Millard Fillmore. McFarland. p. 162. ISBN 978-0-7864-5076-3. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
22. Service, United States National Archives and Records (1964). Papers of the United States Senate Relating to Presidential Nominations, 1789-1901 (Record Group 46). National Archives, National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration. p. 28. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
23. "Nomination For Collector". The Buffalo Commercial. February 12, 1858. p. 3. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
24. "Warren Bryant, Esq". Buffalo Morning Express. March 29, 1858. p. 3. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
25. Cutter, William Richard (1912). Genealogical and Family History of Western New York: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation, Volume II (PDF). New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
26. Biographical History of Buffalo (PDF). pp. 58–61. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
27. Memorial and Family History of Erie County, New York ...: Biographical and Genealogical ... Genealogical Publishing Company. 1908. p. 66. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
28. "The Federal Offices and Republican Profanity". Buffalo Courier. April 22, 1867. p. 2. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
29. "Nominations Confirmed--Bills Approved by the President--Bills Failed". Pittsburgh Gazette. April 12, 1869. p. 1. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
30. "United States Depository, Buffalo". Buffalo Courier. January 7, 1870. p. 2. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
31. "Arraignment for Embezzlement". Buffalo Courier. August 29, 1871. p. 2. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
32. "The Buffalo Custom House". The Buffalo Commercial. July 13, 1870. p. 2. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
33. "Collector of Customs". Buffalo Morning Express. February 24, 1870. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
34. "Buffalo Collectorship". The Buffalo Commercial. March 14, 1877. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
35. Times, Special Dispatch to the New-York (July 17, 1878). "CRIME IN HIGH PLACE; A BUFFALO SOCIETY SCANDAL. THE COLLECTOR OF THE PORT CHARGED WITH SEDUCING A YOUNG LADY PROBABILITY THAT HE WILL BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
36. "APPOINTED TO OFFICE". The New York Times. May 10, 1885. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
37. "BUFFALO'S NEW COLLECTOR". The New York Times. May 10, 1885. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
38. "H. W. BRENDEL. He Assumed His Duties as Collector of the Port of Buffalo Creek Today". The Buffalo Commercial. November 23, 1897. p. 9. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
39. "H.W. BRENDEL He Has Been Appointed Collector of the Port". The Buffalo Commercial. October 8, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
40. The Successful American. Press Biographical Company. 1902. p. 767. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
41. "BRENDEL STAYS TO THE FINISH". Buffalo Morning Express. January 31, 1906. p. 7. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
42. "FRED O. MURRAY NAMED COLLECTOR Charles A. Orr Pension Agent". The Buffalo News. February 10, 1906. p. 4. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
43. Times, Special to The New York (April 17, 1906). "FEDERAL OFFICIALS IN BUFFALO GRAFT EXPOSE; Postmaster Greiner and Collector Murray Both Indicted. BRIBERY AND GRAND LARCENY Greiner Accused of Giving $5,000 Bribe to County Officials – $28,870 Paid on Bogus Warrants". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
44. "FRED O. MURRAY ACQUITTED.; Evidence Didn't Connect Him with Buffalo Scandal, the Court Says". The New York Times. August 17, 1906. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
45. "George Bleistein Nominated Collector of Buffalo Port". The Buffalo News. August 8, 1914. p. 1. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
46. "George G. Davidson For Collector". The Buffalo Times. June 19, 1918. p. 8. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
47. "Fred A. Bradley for Collector". Buffalo Commercial Advertiser. July 11, 1922. p. 12. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
48. TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (March 19, 1932). "SENATE REFERS BACK NAMING OF BRADLEY; Acts on Reappointment of Buffalo Collector After Copeland Urges New Inquiry. PORT CONDITIONS SCORED He Refers to Alleged Liquor Smuggling Activities in the Buffalo District". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
49. "BEMENT TO GET CUSTOMS POST Former Councilman Reported Slated to Succeed O'Brian". The Buffalo News. January 16, 1936. p. 38. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
50. "BEMENT NAMED COLLECTOR HERE". The Buffalo News. February 19, 1936. p. 1. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
51. "MARTIN BEMENT, PORT COLLECTOR 3 TIMES, IS DEAD. Former President of National Livestock Exchange Taken To Hospital 2 Weeks Ago After Heart Attack". The Buffalo News. May 31, 1944. p. 1. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
52. "BOARD DEADLOCKED OVER SUPERVISOR TO SUCCEED BROWN". The Buffalo News. March 8, 1945. p. 8. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
53. "Former Collector Dead". The Oneonta Star. April 28, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
54. "Senate Committee Approves Becker for Customs Post". The Buffalo News. February 23, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
55. "GOP Considering $12,000 Job for Becker in County". The Buffalo News. August 14, 1962. p. 5. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
56. "Frank A. Sedita, Buffalo Mayor Three Times, Dies at Age of 67". The New York Times. May 3, 1975. Retrieved January 18, 2023.

External links

• Department of the Treasury. Customs Service. Collection District of Buffalo
• U. S. Custom House, Washington & Seneca Streets, Buffalo, Erie County, NY at the Library of Congress