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Government Entity Lists Job Opportunities

Federal Agencies' Archived Records: An Overview

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List of Federal Employment Agencies Published
List of Federal Employment Agencies Published

Government Entity Lists Job Opportunities

Accessing Federal Employee Records Before 1952: A Guide

The National Archives at St. Louis houses records for various federal agencies, including those whose employment ended before 1952. These records, known as Official Personnel Folders (OPF), cover a wide range of agencies and span approximately 1850 to 1951.

Access and Fees

These OPFs are available to the public, subject to the archival policies of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Copies of these OPFs require payment according to NARA’s fee schedule. Fees vary with the size of the folder:

  • OPFs of 5 pages or fewer: $25 flat fee
  • OPFs of 6 pages or more: $70 flat fee
  • Service Record Cards: $20 flat fee
  • Additional fees may apply for records relating to multiple individuals (e.g., Postmaster Briefs) at $0.80 per page with a $20 minimum.

Research Limitations

It's important to note that NARA does not perform mediated research. Requestors must specify what is needed, and only complete copies of files can be requested rather than partial extracts.

Scope and Exceptions

This access policy pertains explicitly to federal civilian employees whose service ended before 1952. Records for those with service ending after 1951 are managed separately by the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC).

Some records may be restricted under the Privacy Act of 1974 (P. L. 93-579). In such cases, the case will be handled by the National Personnel Record Center-Civilian Personnel Records Annex.

For records of federal employees whose employment ended after 1951, please refer to the provided link. It's also worth noting that not all OPFs of former civil servants whose employment ended prior to 1952 are open to the public.

For instance, the OPFs of individuals employed prior to 1952 by some agencies whose personnel management systems do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) are not yet open to the public.

Available Records

The following is a partial list of the largest federal employing agencies, along with the availability of their records:

  • The Railroad Administration's records are available from 1918 to 1937.
  • The Forest Service's records are available from 1821 to 1972.
  • The Federal Security Agency's records are available from 1870 to 1951.
  • The Internal Revenue Service's records are available from 1894 to 1952.
  • The Navy's records are available from 1919 to 1951.
  • The Census Bureau's records are available from 1900 to 1947.
  • The Office of Scientific Research and Development's records are available from 1941 to 1947.
  • The Interior department's records are available from 1904 to 1968.
  • The Agriculture department's records are available from 1890 to 1951.
  • The Federal Housing Administration's records are available from 1935 to 1959.
  • The Civil Aeronautics Board's records are available from 1943 to 1947.
  • The National Youth Administration's records are available from 1937 to 1944.
  • The Public Housing Administration's records are available from 1937 to 1947.
  • The Works Progress Administration's records are available from 1933 to 1944.
  • The Office of War Information's records are available from 1933 to 1945.
  • The General Services Administration's records are available from 1944 to 1951.
  • Project J's records are available from 1945.
  • The Post Office Department's records are available from 1919 to 1951.
  • The Public Buildings Service's records are available from 1900 to 1950.
  • The Civilian Conservation Corps' records are available from 1933 to 1943.
  • The records for Independent Agencies are available from 1925 to 1952.
  • The Food and Drug Administration's records are available from 1906 to 1947.
  • The Treasury department's records are available from 1883 to 1962.
  • The State department's records are available from 1882 to 1951.
  • The Veterans Administration's records are available from 1870 to 1951.
  • The Army and Air Force records are available from 1939 to 1951.
  • The Immigration and Naturalization Service's records are available from 1898 to 1947.
  • The Panama Canal Commission's records are available from 1900 to 1970.
  • The Justice department's records are available from 1850 to 1950.
  • The Civil Service Commission's records are available from 1883 to 1950.
  • The Selective Service System's records are available from 1861 to 1951.
  • The Labor department's records are available from 1884 to 1951.
  • The Bureau of Indian Affairs' records are available from 1850 to 1957.
  • The Commerce department's records are available from 1889 to 1951.
  • The Maritime Administration's records are available from 1936 to 1961.
  • The National Park Service's records are available from 1921 to 1960.
  • The U.S. Customs Service's records are available from 1891 to 1967.
  • The Social Security Administration's records are available from 1947.
  • The Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital's records are available from 1908 to 1933.
  • The status and releasability of records will be determined following restrictions.

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