1915 â President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the âAct to Create the Coast Guard,â an act passed by Congress on 20 January 1915 to form the Coast Guard (38 Stat. L., 800). The Coast Guard, however, still considers the date of the founding of the Revenue Cutter Service, 4 August 1790, as its âofficialâ birthday, even though the Lighthouse Service, absorbed in 1939, is even older than that, dating to 7 August 1789. The Coast Guard is the amalgamation of five Federal agencies. These agencies, the Revenue Cutter Service, the Lighthouse Service, the Steamboat Inspection Service, the Bureau of Navigation, and the Lifesaving Service, were originally independent, but had overlapping authorities and were shuffled around the government. They sometimes received new names, and they were all finally united under the umbrella of the Coast Guard. The multiple missions and responsibilities of the modern Service are directly tied to this diverse heritage and the magnificent achievements of all of these agencies.
MILITARY HISTORY SOCIETY OF ROCHESTER
ROCHESTERMILITARY.COM
