John LANGDON was a very early customs officer - possibly one of the very first, as the service was properly established only 4 years before he died.

After declaring its independence in 1776, the struggling young United States of America found itself on the brink of bankruptcy. Responding to the urgent need for revenue, the First Congress passed and President George Washington signed the Tariff Act of 4 July 1789, which authorized the collection of duties on imported goods. The fith Act passed by Congress was the Customs Administrative Act of 31 July 1789, which established customs districts and ports of entry and delivery, and provided for the appointment of Customs officers, in the 11 states which had ratified the Constitution as of its enactment (Rhode Island and North Carolina had not yet ratified).

Customs houses were among the first public buildings of the USA. In the early days, customs houses served as local meeting places for those interested in obtaining news from abroad. Every ship's captain had to enter and clear his vessel at the customs house, so it became a natural gathering place.

Clearly, with their father as a customs officer (and their grandfather Thomas WALLEY a tea and spice merchant), the young John Walley LANGDON and his younger brother Thomas Walley LANGDON would have had an advantageous introduction to the world of shipping and commerce.

The US customs service was the parent or forerunner to many other agencies. In the early days, customs officers administered military pensions; collected import and export statistics; and supervised revenue cutters. Customs also collected hospital dues to help sick and disabled seamen; and, established standard weights and measures.

Source: US customs service website.

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1