Poormaster

Poormaster is the name of a now obsolete job position similar to that of Paymaster. Most of the states in the early United States had their own poormaster.

The duties of a poormaster were to validate those who applied for relief and issue funds.[1] The job was often a political sinecure before the 1930s. However the job was not without its risks. Those rejected often held grudges and poormasters were sometimes guarded by police officers during the Great Depression.[2]

Harry L Barck was one such. He held the position of Poormaster for the city of Hoboken, New Jersey. He was killed by Joseph Scutellaro, a frustrated applicant, on February 15, 1938.[3] Scutellaro, who killed Barck with a spindle, received two years.[4]

The occupation ceased to exist after the 1940s, with the advent of Social assistance.

References

  1. ^ Barbagallo, Tricia A. (4 August 2001). "The Poor of Albany". New York State Museum. http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/poor.html. Retrieved 27 April 2008. 
  2. ^ "RELIEF: Last Client". Time. 7 March 1938. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,759182,00.html. Retrieved 27 April 2008. 
  3. ^ Reynolds, Quentin (1952). "Chapter 7, Part 4". Courtroom. Popular Giant. 
  4. ^ "POORMASTER Slayer Guilty". Middletown Times Herald. 16 January 1939. http://www.newspaperarchive.com/LandingPage.aspx?type=glp&search=poormaster&img=\\na0006\6779956\37982684_clean.html. Retrieved 27 April 2008. 

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