Page 8 - Q1 Newsletter

Each issue will share some of the history of the Nation’s oldest and longest continuous statewide law
enforcement agency with special contributions from Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Ronald Guillmette.
The countless hours he has spent researching the history of the Massachusetts State Police has
been invaluable to the Museum and it’s efforts to keep our history alive.

The First To Serve

In April of 1865 the Massachusetts Legislature was preparing legislation to create a new police
department to better police metropolitan Boston. This new department was to be modeled after the London
Metropolitan Police Department, and was to be called the Metropolitan Police Department. The legislation
was later amended to read State Police, and on May 16, 1865 Governor John Albion Andrew, the Civil War
Governor, signed legislation creating the first state police agency in the United. States.

Governor Brigadier General
John A. Andrews William Sterling King

On June 24, 1865 Governor Andrew appointed Civil War Colonel, and breveted Brigadier General,
William Sterling King as the first Chief of the Massachusetts State Police. King began recruiting officers for
the new state police department and decided “to appoint no one to office who has not seen military service
during the rebellion.” By July 8, the American Traveler reported, that there were already 600 applicants for
the 39 constable positions approved by the legislature. King immediately began selecting military men for
this new position of Deputy Constable of the Commonwealth.

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On July 26, 1865 King chose one of his former officers from the 4 Massachusetts Volunteer Heavy
Artillery to be in the first group of thirty-nine men. He appointed Lieutenant Charles Nelson Hair of
Worcester as a deputy constable for Worcester County.

The first state police constables wore a single-breasted dark blue military frock coat, with brass
buttons, a white shirt and bow tie with the Maltese badge worn on the left breast, and blue trousers. The
Brass buttons on the jacket were described as “Brass civil buttons.” Officers carried revolvers and in March
of 1866 they were issued “Billie’s.” They wore hats described as roundabout’s, with a hat badge in the
center with the State Coat of Arms and the words Deputy Constable Massachusetts. Among the deputies
there was no distinction of rank, however former military men kept their title, i.e., Colonel King, Major
Jones, Lieutenant Hair, and, by custom of the period, were addressed that way for the remainder of their life.

P age 8 F irst and F inest