<P> In 1849 , Walker stated in his annual report that several federal offices were placed in departments with which they had little to do . He noted that the General Land Office had little to do with the Treasury and also highlighted the Indian Affairs office , part of the Department of War , and the Patent Office , part of the Department of State . Walker argued that these and other bureaus should be brought together in a new Department of the Interior . A bill authorizing its creation of the Department passed the House of Representatives on February 15 , 1849 , and spent just over two weeks in the Senate . The Department was established on March 3 , 1849 ( 9 Stat. 395 ) , the eve of President Zachary Taylor 's inauguration , when the Senate voted 31 to 25 to create the Department . Its passage was delayed by Democrats in Congress who were reluctant to create more patronage posts for the incoming Whig administration to fill . The first Secretary of the Interior was Thomas Ewing . </P>
<P> In 1849 , Walker stated in his annual report that several federal offices were placed in departments with which they had little to do . He noted that the General Land Office had little to do with the Treasury and also highlighted the Indian Affairs office , part of the Department of War , and the Patent Office , part of the Department of State . Walker argued that these and other bureaus should be brought together in a new Department of the Interior . A bill authorizing its creation of the Department passed the House of Representatives on February 15 , 1849 , and spent just over two weeks in the Senate . The Department was established on March 3 , 1849 ( 9 Stat. 395 ) , the eve of President Zachary Taylor 's inauguration , when the Senate voted 31 to 25 to create the Department . Its passage was delayed by Democrats in Congress who were reluctant to create more patronage posts for the incoming Whig administration to fill . The first Secretary of the Interior was Thomas Ewing . </P>
when was the department of the interior formed
when was the department of the interior formed
March 3 , 1849
March 3 , 1849