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Treasury Department Photo - 1910
RogerB
Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭
This is a photo of the Treasury's Customs Division in 1910. Notice that all employees had shared space and there was no distinction between race or sex. When William McAdoo was appointed Treasury Secretary in 1913 he introduced debilitating and disruptive segregation by race and reduced pay for women.
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Great pic and piece of history.
President Wilson was a vicious bigot, and he may have ordered all governmental agencies to discriminate against Blacks, not the Secretary of the Treasury.
McAdoo began government office segregation, and the idea spread. Wilson probably approved, but there is no record of his promotion of the practice. Would have been much different if Roosevelt had been elected.
You had me at "vicious bigot". Excellent thread and commentary.
Check out my current listings: https://ebay.com/sch/khunt/m.html?_ipg=200&_sop=12&_rdc=1
Noticed that some (three pairs) shared the same work space/desk.
Trash can is full.
Piles of paper now replaced with lap/desktop computer or equivalent. Or, if like me added to the piles. LOL
Interesting part of history, thanks for sharing !!!
FYI:
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/opinion/the-case-against-woodrow-wilson-at-princeton.html
Edited to add: It is quite possible that Wilson appointed people who shared his views. That is generally how these things work.
Interesting. I do not think I will stray into that arena.
In 1910 Treasury had a series of photos made of each department/room at main Treasury in Washington, Philadelphia Mint, and New York Assay Office. Photos were mounted in large leather albums with appropriate captions (as shown in the original post). Most of the albums have been lost.
The purpose seems to have been to document the present condition of each room, so that improvements could be made. The caption for the Customs Division makes observations about conditions and specific suggestions for improvement.
Wilson's involvement in rampant segregation, as noted in the NYT opinion piece, has been discussed numerous times. The results were, and remain, evident throughout civil society.
The cluttered desks remind me of my own when I was in business... I would clear my desk perhaps once a year... in a matter of a week or so, it was back to being filled with papers and stuff... used to amaze people, when they asked for something, I could go right to the particular pile of papers and pull it out...Organized chaos....
Cheers, RickO
So what type of work would they have done in this office? Did they just compile reports from the original Customs Houses, or what?
“The customs division audits the account of collectors of customs for receipts of customs revenue, and disbursement of the expenses of collecting the same, and also including accounts of collectors for receipts and disbursements in connection with the Revenue Cutter, Light-House, and Marine Hospital service, and accounts for official emoluments, debentures, refund of duties, warehouse and bond accounts and miscellaneous disbursements.” [Annual Report of the Secretary of the Treasury, 1898, p.736.]
And -- they do it all in one breath !
Great picture and a piece of history. Thanks for sharing it with us.
There are several other Treasury operation photos, such as checking paper currency, with comparable mixtures of workers, so the Customs Division was evidently not an exception.
He thought people of color where not evolved enough to hold these positions so he did his best to fire and not hire them for government positions very sad!!!
Thanks for the photo and info please keep posting info like this
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/quarters/washington-quarters-major-sets/washington-quarters-date-set-circulation-strikes-1932-present/publishedset/209923
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/quarters/washington-quarters-major-sets/washington-quarters-date-set-circulation-strikes-1932-present/album/209923
I for one am getting rid of all of my $100,000 Gold Certificates!
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ndBa7V9JNak/VqRdqWSIoOI/AAAAAAAABLU/CB2q2zFWOXY/s1600/USA+Gold+Certificate+100K+-+Obv.jpg
this can't be, otherwise Princeton wouldn't boast its "Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs" having strength in diversity
This is similar to the open floor plans of today which others believe to be new an innovative.
Best place to buy !
Bronze Associate member
Company offices, insurance, finance, government, etc. all used an open floor with each worker having an assigned desk and other necessary equipment. Couriers came around every hour to collect completed work and deposit new assignments -- hence the IN and OUT baskets commonly seen.