New York State Civil Service Commission Meeting Minutes
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Overview of the Records
Repository:
New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230
Summary:
This series contains the Civil Service Commission's official meeting minutes signed by its secretary. The Commission was set
up "to regulate and improve the Civil Service of the State," and these minutes document their work toward that end. There
are entries for all Commission meetings except those between 1944 and 1947, when only verbatim minutes were kept. Pre-1899
minutes are handwritten while all others are typewritten.
Creator:
Title:
New York State Civil Service Commission meeting minutes
Quantity:
21.2 cubic feet
98 volumes
Inclusive Dates:
1883-1968
Series Number:
B0500
Arrangement
Organized into two subseries: Subseries 1, Official Minutes, 1883-1968, Boxes 1-14; Subseries 2, Verbatim Minutes, 1944-1954,
Boxes 15-19.
Chronological by date of commission meetings (beginning in 1965, entries in volumes are in reverse chronological order).
Scope and Content Note
This series contains the Civil Service Commission's official meeting minutes signed by its secretary. The Commission was set
up "to regulate and improve the Civil Service of the State," and these minutes document their work toward that end. There
are entries for all Commission meetings except those between 1944 and 1947, when only verbatim minutes were kept. Pre-1899
minutes are handwritten while all others are typewritten.
Early minutes (1883-1905) are extremely detailed, listing the meeting site (usually New York City or Albany) and containing
descriptions of proceedings, resolutions, Commission rules and opinions, classification plans, verbatim transcripts of statements,
and copies of and extracts from correspondence. Their early work to professionalize the civil service by establishing classes
and divisions of workers and corresponding pay scales, along with regulations to govern their implementation, are detailed,
in addition to the Commission's advocacy of hiring through open, competitive examinations, and promotions through merit and
competition. Revisions and clarifications in regulations are also discussed, and an intense interest was shown in the administration
of early examinations.
These minutes also reveal the Commission's work to maintain and enlarge the area under its influence, as it aggressively disciplined
State officials who flaunted civil service regulations and examined the civil service operations of various cities and, acting
as a consultant, formulated regulations for them to follow. Classification of positions, disbursements, appointment of test
examiners, consideration of exemptions from Civil Service regulations or appointments through non-competitive examinations,
and amendments to the Civil Service Code are also discussed. For the most part these minutes are frank and detailed, though
often routine.
After 1905, the minutes contain fewer verbatim documents but still include much detail about Commission meetings, though the
topics are conventional: requests for exemptions, budgetary matters, and further clarification of regulations. During the
1920s and 1930s, however, the amount of information progressively declines, and routine subjects (review of appeals, exemptions,
salary grades, job requirements, temporary jobs, and civil service regulations) are peremptorily handled.
In 1948 the minutes' content and format change radically. They consist of listings of agenda items with short comments, varying
in length from two sentences to two paragraphs, on the disposition of the matters before the Commission. Rarely does an extended
policy statement or opinion appear in these minutes.
Pre-1948 minutes document the Commission's actions and intent in policy matters and contain information on individual appeals,
investigations, and other matters brought before the Commission. Post-1948 minutes deal almost exclusively with the disposition
of individual matters and give little information on their background or the Commission's intent. Information in these later
minutes, however, is supplemented by the Commission Meeting Calendars (1930-1968) which include memoranda on each calendared
item.
The verbatim minutes, prepared from audio recordings or stenographers' notes, were kept in lieu of official minutes from 1944
to 1947. (A two-inch dictaphone tape, presumably from the 1944-1954 period, is housed in the series.) When the compilation
of official minutes resumed in 1948, the Commission continued to keep verbatim minutes. In 1954 these were discontinued at
the suggestion of the Temporary State Commission on Coordination of State Activities. These minutes contain complete transcripts
of discussions of Commission policy as well as individual appeals, petitions, investigations, and other matters. They also
contain the text of verbal presentations of Department of Civil Service staff, State and municipal agencies' representatives,
and individual appellants and petitioners. Much information was shared with Commission members via memoranda in advance of
the meetings and hence the verbatim minutes usually do not contain extended discussions.
Related Material
14105 Civil Service Commission meeting calendars, consists of bound agendas or "calendars" and background memoranda relating to
commission meetings.
Other Finding Aids
Available at Repository
Volume list is available at the repository.
Official minutes are indexed as follows: Volumes 1 and 2 are subject indexed by a separate volume; Volume 3 is not indexed;
Volumes 4-7 are chronologically indexed by meeting date; Volumes 8-60 and 69-74 have subject indices included in each volume;
and Volumes 61-68 are indexed by meeting dates with tabs in each volume. Verbatim minutes are not indexed.
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.
Access Terms
Corporate Name(s):
Geographic Name(s):
Subject(s):
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Detailed Description
Contents |
Box |
|
Othertype |
Accretion: B0500-84 |
Index to Volume 1 and part of Volume 2 |
1 |
|
|
May 31, 1883 - July 9,1885 |
1 |
1 |
|
July 20, 1885 - July 2, 1891 |
1 |
2 |
|
September 10, 1891 - June 9, 1896 |
2 |
3 |
|
June 17, 1896 - December 17, 1899 |
2 |
4 |
|
January 9, 1900 - June 18, 1901 |
3 |
5 |
|
July 2, 1901 - May 15, 1903 |
3 |
6 |
|
June 19, 1903 - June 22, 1905 |
3 |
7 |
|
1912 - Pages 1-605, Index |
4 |
16 |
|
January 7, 1913 - June 24, 1913 Pages 1-537a, Index |
4 |
17 |
|
July 1, 1913 - December 31, 1913 Pages 538-1055, Index |
4 |
18 |
|
January 1, 1914 - July 1, 1914 Pages 1-627, Index |
5 |
19 |
|
July 1, 1914 - December 31, 1914 Pages 628-1037, Index |
5 |
20 |
|
January 1, 1915 - July 1, 1915 Pages 1-542, Index |
5 |
21 |
|
July 1, 1915 - December 31, 1915 Pages 1-348, Index |
5 |
22 |
|
1916 (cont'd) - Pages 321-565, Index |
6 |
23 |
|
1917 - Pages 1-657, Index |
6 |
24 |
|
1918 - Pages 1-625, Index |
6 |
25 |
|
1919 - Pages 1-497, Index |
6 |
26 |
|
1920 - Pages 1-591, Index |
7 |
27 |
|
1921 - Pages 1-581, Index |
7 |
28 |
|
1922 - Pages 1-517, Index |
7 |
29 |
|
1923 - Pages 1-424, Index |
7 |
30 |
|
1924 - Pages 1-532, Index |
8 |
31 |
|
1925 - Pages 1-577, Index |
8 |
32 |
|
1926 - Pages 1-521, Index |
8 |
33 |
|
January 1, 1928 - June 30, 1928 |
8 |
35 |
|
July 1, 1928 - December 31, 1928 |
9 |
36 |
|
January 1, 1929 - June 30, 1929 |
9 |
37 |
|
July 1, 1929 - December 31, 1929 |
9 |
38 |
|
January 1, 1930 - June 30, 1930 |
9 |
39 |
|
July 2, 1930 - December 11, 1930 |
9 |
40 |
|
January 2, 1935 - May 29, 1935 |
10 |
45 |
|
June 7, 1935 - December 20, 1935 |
10 |
46 |
|
January 6, 1938 - August 4, 1938 |
11 |
49 |
|
September 14, 1938 - December 16, 1938 |
11 |
50 |
|
January 3, 1939 - September 14, 1939 |
11 |
51 |
|
October 5, 1939 - December 21, 1939 |
11 |
52 |
|
January 9, 1940 - June 27, 1940 |
11 |
53 |
|
July 3, 1940 - December 27, 1940 |
11 |
54 |
|
January 8, 1941 - June 23, 1941 |
11 |
55 |
|
June 30, 1941 - December 23, 1941 |
12 |
56 |
|
January 7, 1942 - September 2, 1942 |
12 |
57 |
|
September 9, 1942 - December 30, 1942 |
12 |
58 |
|
January 14, 1943 - June 30, 1943 |
12 |
59 |
|
July 14, 1943 - December 9, 1943 |
12 |
60 |
|
October 25, 1948 - December 19, 1950 |
12 |
61 |
|
January 23, 1951 - July 31, 1952 |
12 |
62 |
|
January 23, 1951 - July 31, 1952 (cont'd) |
13 |
62 |
|
September 16, 1952 - December 30, 1953 |
13 |
63 |
|
1960 - 1961 (cont'd) |
14 |
67 |
|
January 11, 1944 - June 23, 1944 |
15 |
1 |
|
July 26, 1944 - December 19, 1944 |
15 |
2 |
|
January 16, 1945 - June 19, 1945 |
15 |
3 |
|
July 12, 1945 - December 19, 1945 |
15 |
4 |
|
January 30, 1946 - April 23, 1946 |
15 |
5 |
|
May 23, 1946 - July 31, 1946 |
15 |
6 |
|
September 17, 1946 - December 18, 1946 |
16 |
7 |
|
January 28, 1947 - April 30, 1947 |
16 |
8 |
|
May 1, 1947 - July 23, 1947 |
16 |
9 |
|
September 17, 1947 - October 29, 1947 |
16 |
10 |
|
November 25, 1947 - December 16, 1947 |
16 |
11 |
|
January 9, 1948 - March 22, 1948 |
16 |
12 |
|
April 12, 1948 - June 24, 1948 |
16 |
13 |
|
April 12, 1948 - June 24, 1948 (cont'd) |
17 |
13 |
|
July 22, 1948 - October 28, 1948 |
17 |
14 |
|
January 12, 1949 - June 16, 1949 |
17 |
15 |
|
September 20, 1949 - December 15, 1949 |
17 |
16 |
|
January 4, 1950 - March 24, 1950 |
17 |
17 |
|
April 18, 1950 - June 30, 1950 |
17 |
18 |
|
July 25, 1950 - October 27, 1950 |
17 |
19 |
|
November 28, 1950 - December 19, 1950 |
17 |
20 |
|
January 23, 1951 - March 15, 1951 |
17 |
21 |
|
January 23, 1951 - March 15, 1951 (cont'd) |
18 |
21 |
|
April 16, 1951 - December 20, 1951 |
18 |
22 |
|
January 22, 1952 - December 7, 1952; January 20, 1953 - September 17, 1953 |
19 |
23 |
|
January 19, 1954 - November 17, 1954; January 12, 13, 1962; October 30, 1962 |
19 |
24 |
|
1 reel 2" dictaphone tape |
20 |
1 |