Founding1790
Revenue Cutter Service Established
Congress authorized the creation of the Revenue-Marine, later known as the Revenue Cutter Service, to enforce tariff and trade laws. Alexander Hamilton, as Secretary of the Treasury, oversaw its creation. It would become the United States Coast Guard in 1915.
Why It Matters
The Revenue Cutter Service was one of the first federal law enforcement agencies, demonstrating the new government's need to enforce its laws and collect revenue to function as a viable nation.