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 in prison. [4]
The occupation ceased to exist after the 1940s, with the advent of social assistance.