1834 Andrew Jackson - Revolutionary War Pension Fraud

When Congress relaxed the restrictions on Revolutionary War pension claims in 1832, they invited a large swath of fraudulent claims.  Thus, in 1834 despite a dwindling number of Revolutionary veterans, we find President Jackson raising concerns over these fraudulent claims and urged his Secretary of War to inspect each and every person currently receiving a pension for serving in the war.  

Beginning in 1818 Revolutionary War Veterans who had serviced in a Continental Military organization or in the U. S. naval service were eligible for pensions based on financial need. By 1820, the pension payout process was plagued with accusations that many applicants were feigning poverty to obtain benefits that Congress passed modified the bill to require "absolute indigence". Many veterans who were truly in want, now were unable to provide evidence or refused to give up all virtue of by exposing their poverty.  In 1825 Congress under advisement from President John Quincy Adams removed the indigence requirement, but in 1832 during at the urging of Andrew Jackson added it back.  Apparently, it allowed more pensioners into the system than Congress had appropriated funds for, many of whom soldiers of the War of 1812, not the Revolutionary war.   

The 1832 bill that Congress passed extended the benefits for all officers enlisted men who served at least 2 years in the Continental Line or in state militias to full pay for life. Those who served less than 2 years, but more than 6 months still received a portion of their pay. There were no financial need requirements and unpaid benefits were paid to widows and children upon the death of a veteran. In 1832, the federal government had extraordinarily little debt and ran a surplus, so it made good sense to distribute funds to Veterans rather than the bank, but claims were exceedingly difficult to prove one way or another.  Most Revolutionary War veterans had no paperwork to prove their service, and early Revolutionary pension application records were destroyed in 1800 by fires, thus the new pension laws dis not require any original paperwork.  All a veteran needed was an affidavit from two witnesses, proper representation and a county clerk who would confirm the identity of the listed veteran.  In some towns, the fraud became so rampant that cabals of small claim lawyers made an enterprise out of charging aging and vulnerable men a fee to embellish pension applications.   

 In his 1834 State of the Union address, President Andrew Jackson shared instructions for the Secretary of War regarding the investigation and scrutiny of these claims. Jackson called for an inspection of "every person now drawing a pension". He wanted the Secretary of War to investigate whether the person served in the Revolutionary War, and whether or not the claimant was still living.  

"Circumstances have been recently developed showing the existence of extensive frauds under the various laws granting pensions and gratuities for Revolutionary services. It is impossible to estimate the amount which may have been thus fraudulently obtained from the National Treasury. I am satisfied, however, it has been such as to justify a re-examination of the system and the adoption of the necessary checks in its administration. All will agree that the services and sufferings of the remnant of our Revolutionary band should be fully compensated; but while this is done, every proper precaution should be taken to prevent the admission of fabricated and fraudulent claims.

In the present mode of proceeding the attestations and certificates of the judicial officers of the various States form [see APP Note] a considerable portion of the checks which are interposed against the commission of frauds. These, however, have been and may be fabricated, and in such a way as to elude detection at the examining offices. And independently of this practical difficulty, it is ascertained that these documents are often loosely granted; some times even blank certificates have been issued; some times prepared papers have been signed without inquiry, and in one instance, at least, the seal of the court has been within reach of a person most interested in its improper application. It is obvious that under such circumstances no severity of administration can check the abuse of the law. And information has from time to time been communicated to the Pension Office questioning or denying the right of persons placed upon the pension list to the bounty of the country.

Such cautions are always attended to and examined, but a far more general investigation is called for, and I therefore recommend, in conformity with the suggestion of the Secretary of War, that an actual inspection should be made in each State into the circumstances and claims of every person now drawing a pension. The honest veteran has nothing to fear from such a scrutiny, while the fraudulent claimant will be detected and the public Treasury relieved to an amount, I have reason to believe, far greater than has heretofore been suspected. The details of such a plan could be so regulated as to interpose the necessary checks without any burdensome operation upon the pensioners. The object should be two-fold:

1. To look into the original justice of the claims, so far as this can be done under a proper system of regulations, by an examination of the claimants themselves and by inquiring in the vicinity of their residence into their history and into the opinion entertained of their Revolutionary services.
2. To ascertain in all cases whether the original claimant is living and this by actual personal inspection. 

This measure will, if adopted, be productive, I think, of the desired results, and I therefore recommend it to your consideration, with the further suggestion that all payments should be suspended 'til the necessary reports are received."

References

Presidency.ucsb.edu. 2020. Sixth Annual Message | The American Presidency Project. [online] Available at: <https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/sixth-annual-message-2> [Accessed 28 May 2020].

Digitalcommons.usu.edu. 2020. Measuring Rural Revolutionary Mobilization: The Militiamen, Soldiers, And Minutemen Of Fauquier County, Virginia 1775 - 1782. [online] Available at: <https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8524&context=etd> [Accessed 28 May 2020].

Revwarapps.org. 2020. Federal Pension And Bounty-Land Acts For American Revolution. [online] Available at: <https://revwarapps.org/revwar-pension-acts.htm> [Accessed 28 May 2020].

Wagner, D., 2020. 1825 John Quincy Adams - Pensions For Revolutionary War Veterans. [online] Stateoftheunionhistory.com. Available at: <http://www.stateoftheunionhistory.com/2018/01/1825-john-quincy-adams-pensions-for.html> [Accessed 28 May 2020].