On this day, Sept. 24, in 1789, President George Washington signed the Judiciary Act, creating the U.S. Marshals Service, with the entire federal court system.
Many of the first U.S. marshals, including John Adams’ son-in-law, Rep. William Stephens Smith for the district of New York, had already proven themselves in military service during the American Revolution.
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Over the past 220 years, the marshals have been called on to carry out unusual missions, such as registering enemy aliens in time of war, sealing the American border against armed expeditions from foreign countries and swapping spies with the Soviet Union.
As the young nation expanded westward, marshals were instrumental in keeping law and order in the “Old West” era and involved in apprehending desperadoes such as members of the Dalton Gang, Bill Doolin and Ned Christie, a Cherokee leader accused of killing a marshal.
The marshals service, based in Arlington, is the oldest federal law agency in the United States, although there is some controversy about that. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service traces its roots back to 1772.
— Scott McCabe
