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A page of the printed Act of Congress of August 14, 1848 establishing life-saving stations on the coast of New Jersey — 'Newell Act', engrossed on official stationery with a seal
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The Newell Act, August 14, 1848

1848-08-14

The text of the act of Congress that made the U.S. government responsible for saving lives on the coast — ten thousand dollars for eight life-saving houses between Sandy Hook and Little Egg Harbor, approved August 14, 1848. William A. Newell of Monmouth County shepherded it through in the wake of the *John Minturn* scandal. Signed by President Polk. It is the birth certificate of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, and — for a stretch of decades — the entire federal claim to the working coast.

Item record

Title
The Newell Act, August 14, 1848
Date
1848-08-14
Source
Placeholder — stand-in for U.S. Statutes at Large.
Contributor
Placeholder — stand-in for the Library of Congress
Rights
Placeholder — replace before publishing
Slug
wrecks-and-rescue-newell-act

Verification: placeholder item — metadata and image will be replaced with archival material before publication.

Cite this item

The Newell Act, August 14, 1848 (1848-08-14). Placeholder — stand-in for U.S. Statutes at Large. The Highlands History Project, https://history.abovethehook.com/archive/wrecks-and-rescue-newell-act/.