Between 1862 and 1888, Congress created as many new bureaus and departments as had existed in the country’s previous history. The list of major additions were impressive: the Department of Agriculture, created in 1862 and raised to cabinet rank in 1889; the Department of Justice (1870); and a Department of Labor, without cabinet rank, in 1888. In addition there was a Department of Education (1867), subsequently abolished and its functions moved to the Interior Department.
