Tough to be a successful commercial republic if your ships keep running aground.
Apparently the Lighthouse Service is the oldest federal executive agency in the US.
From the National Archives: Records of the U.S. Lighthouse Service.
The first lighthouse in the 13 colonies was built in Massachusetts in 1716. When the United States federal government was established, this lighthouse and eleven others in operation were placed under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Treasury.
- 1789 - 1852: United States Lighthouse Establishment
In 1789, the United States Lighthouse Establishment (USLHE) was created and operated under the Department of the Treasury. All U.S. lighthouse ownership was transferred to the government which became the general lighthouse authority (GLA). In 1792, the Cape Henry Lighthouse was the first lighthouse built by the USLHE. In 1822, French physicist, Augustin Fresnel designed the Fresnel lens. In 1841 the Fresnel lens was first used in the United States and installed on the Navesink Lighthouse. In 1852 the Lighthouse Board was created.
- 1852 - 1910: United States Lighthouse Board.
The United States Lighthouse Board was the second agency of the U.S. federal government, under the Department of Treasury, responsible for the construction and maintenance of all lighthouses and navigation aids in the United States, between 1852 and 1910. The new agency was created following complaints of the shipping industry of the previous administration of lighthouses under the Treasury's Lighthouse Establishment, which had had jurisdiction since 1791, and since 1820, been under the control of Stephen Pleasonton.
- 1910 - 1939: United States Lighthouse Service.
The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the United States Government and the general lighthouse authority for the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 as the successor of the United States Lighthouse Board until 1939 when it was merged into the United States Coast Guard. It was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses and lightvessels in the United States.
