By Jeffrey Boutwell
Columbia, MD
October 15, 2024
No, three members of the Lincoln Group of DC were not visiting the IRS offices in Washington on October 9 to settle back taxes or anything of a similar nature. The three—Jeffrey Boutwell, Susan Dennis, and Wendy Swanson—were there to pay tribute of a different kind: honoring Abraham Lincoln and his appointment of George S. Boutwell as the country’s first Commissioner of Revenue in 1862.
In the bleak days of summer 1862, when Gen. George McClellan was retreating from the Virginia peninsula and Union morale was low, George Boutwell arrived in Washington to take charge of the newly created Revenue bureau and oversee the collection of the country’s first-ever income tax. Starting with three clerks in a basement office in the Treasury building, Boutwell worked seven days a week, “nights and Sabbaths,” to build up an operation that by the spring of 1863 consisted of over 3,000 revenue assessors and collectors, bringing in tens of millions of dollars for the Union war effort.
Joined by Susan Dennis, herself a former IRS employee, and Wendy Swanson, the Lincoln Group trio were hosted by Anthony Burke of the IRS Media Relations office, assisted by facility manager Ciara Emezie. They spent a delightful hour touring the IRS building, posing with George’s official portrait (See the above photo) and viewing a photograph of Abraham Lincoln that honors the 16th President’s role in creating the bureau and raising the resources needed to save the Union. In addition, Susan had a great time catching up with Anthony on news of shared colleagues from many years of working at the IRS.
Although George Boutwell never set foot in the modern IRS building, built as it was in 1930, Jeffrey, Susan, and Wendy enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about an important piece of Lincoln history from the Civil War.
(Editor's Note: Family member Jeffrey Boutwell recounts this and other fascinating aspects of George’s career in his forthcoming publication, Boutwell: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy, being published by W.W. Norton in January 2025, and the subject of our Zoom meeting on January 21, 2025.)
Photo credit: Anthony Burke
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