Poormaster
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Poormaster is the name of a now obsolete job position similar to that of
paymaster A paymaster is someone appointed by a group of buyers, sellers, investors or lenders to receive, hold, and dispense funds, commissions, fees, salaries (remuneration) or other trade, loan, or sales proceeds within the private sector or public secto ...
. Most of the states in the early
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
had their own poormaster. The duties of a poormaster were to validate those who applied for
relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
and issue funds. The job was often a political
sinecure A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is a position with a salary or otherwise generating income that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval church, ...
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 The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
.
Harry L Barck Harry may refer to: Television *Harry (American TV series), ''Harry'' (American TV series), 1987 comedy series starring Alan Arkin *Harry (British TV series), ''Harry'' (British TV series), 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons *Harry (New Zeala ...
was one such. He held the position of Poormaster for the city of
Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...
. He was killed by Joseph Scutellaro, a frustrated applicant, on February 15, 1938. Scutellaro, who killed Barck with a
spindle Spindle may refer to: Textiles and manufacturing * Spindle (textiles), a straight spike to spin fibers into yarn * Spindle (tool), a rotating axis of a machine tool Biology * Common spindle and other species of shrubs and trees in genus ''Euonym ...
, received two years in prison. The occupation ceased to exist after the 1940s, with the advent of
social assistance Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...
.


References


Works

*Historian Holly Metz has received a grant to write a book on Barc

to be titled ''Killing the Poormaster'

*{{cite book , last = Livermore , first = Mary , title = My Story of the War , publisher = A.D. Worthington and Company , location=Hartford, Conn. , year=1888 , chapter= Chapter 31 , chapter-url = http://www.ourstory.info/library/1-roots/Livermore/story11.html * Killing the poormaster : a saga of poverty, corruption, and murder in the Great Depression (book) https://lccn.loc.gov/2012021790 Social care in the United States Historical economic occupations