Officers of the United States are those nominated by the president and confirmed by the senate or those who are appointed under an act of congress, by the president alone, a court of law, or a head of a depart ment ; U. S. v. Germaine, 99 U. S. 508, 25 L. Ed. 482 ; see U. S. v. Mouat, 124 U. S. 303, 8 Sup. Ct. 505, 31 L. Ed. 463. The notification of the secretary of the navy is a valid appointment as a passed assistant sur geon; U. S. v. Moore, 95 U. S. 762, 24 L. Ed. 588. It is generally true that a relation arising out of a contract and dependent for its duration • and extent upon the terms thereof is never considered an office ; Shel by v. Alcorn, 36 Miss. 273, 72 Am. Dec. 169. Not every employment under the government is an office ; U. S. v. Maurice, 2 Brock. 96, Fed. Cas. No. 15,747. The distinction be tween officer and placeman is that the for mer must take an oath of office, the latter not ; Worthy v. Barrett, 63 N. C. 199.
Who are officers. The following have been held to be officers: All persons entrusted with the receipt of public money ; Com. v. Evans, 74 Pa. 124; the receiver of a national bank ; Platt v. Beach, 2 Ben. 303, Fed. CAS. No. 11,215 ; clerks in an executive depart ment of the federal government ; Talbot v. U. S., 10 Ct. Cl. 426; a collector of city taxes, within the bankruptcy act of 1841; Morse v. Lowell, 7 Mete. (Mass.) 152; a representa tive in a state legislature ; Morrill v. Haines, 2 N. H. 246 (see infra); members of the boards of public safety and public works ; secretaries of such boards ; assistant bailiff of the police court ; and the stenographer of the said court, within the meaning of a con stitutional provision that the salaries of pub lic officers shall be neither increased nor di minished during their term of office ; Louis ville v. Wilson, 99 Ky. 598, 36 S. W. 944 ; a notary public, within the meaning of a constitutional provision that any public offi cer who shall travel on a free pass shall for feit his office; People v. Rathbone, 11 Misc. 98, 32 N. Y. Supp. 108, affirmed in 145 N. Y. 434, 40 N. E. 395, 28 L. R. A. 384; a repre sentative in congress ; People v. Brooklyn, 77 N. Y. 503, 33 Am. Rep. 659; a selectman; State v. Boody, 53 N. H. 610 ; the president of a city council ; State v. Anderson, 45 Ohio St. 196, 12 N. E. 656 ; a city superintendent of streets; State v. May, 106 Mo. 488, 17 S. W. 660; an assistant of the board of alder men; Collins v. New York, 3 Hun (N. Y.) 680; a deputy county clerk ; Gibbs v. Morgan, 39 N. J. Eq. 126; a county solicitor duly elected ; Lancaster County v. Fulton, 128 Pa. 48, 18 Atl. 384, 5 L. R. A. 436 ; notary public ; Gov ernor v. Gordon, 15 Ala. 72 ; a passed assistant surgeon in the navy ; U. S. v. Moore, 95 U. S.
760, 24 L. Ed. 588; a cadet engineer, a gradu ate of the naval academy ; U. S. v. Perkins, 116 U. S. 483, 6 Sup. Ct. 449, 29 L. Ed. 700 ; a clerk appointed by an assistant treasurer ; U. S. v. Hartwell, 6 Wall. (U. S.) 385, 18 L. Ed. 830; a postmaster ; Spence v. Harvey, 22 Cal. 336, 83 Am. Dec. 69; judges and Members of a state senate and house and state directors in corporations ; State v. Stan ley, 66 N. C. 59, 8 Am. Rep. 488; justices of the peace; Ex parte Henshaw, 73 Cal. 487, 15 Pac. 110; attendants of courts; Rowland v. New York, 83 N. Y. 372 ; a marshal of the United States ; U. S. v. Strobach, 48 Fed. 902, 4 Woods 592 ; a deputy marshal; U. S. v. Martin, 17 Fed. 150; a sheriff ; Worthy v. Barrett, 63 N. C. 199 ; Coite v. Lynes, 33 Conn. 109; a deputy state treasurer ; State v. Brandt, 41 Ia. 593; trustees of the state university and directors of a state institu tion for the deaf and dumb, penitentiary, etc.; People v. Bledsoe, 68 N. C. 457.
So of the superintendent of a county peni tentiary; Porter v. Pillsbury, 11 How. Pr. (N. Y.) 240; the medical superintendent of a hospital, for the insane ; State v. Wilson, 29 Ohio St. 347; trustees of a state library; People v. Sanderson, 30 Cal. 160; a deputy constable; State v. Dierberger, 90 Mo. 369, 2 S. W. 286. As to a policeman, see Farrell v. Bridgeport, 45 Conn. 191; Shanley v. Brooklyn, 30 Hun (N. Y.) 396; Wilkes Barre v. Meyers, 113 Pa. 395, 6 Atl. 110; a fire marshal ; People v. Scannel, 22 Misc. 298, 49 N. Y.' Supp. 1096; a fireman ; Schmitt v. Dooling, 145 Ky. 240, 140 S. W. 197, 36 L. R. A. (N. S.) 881, Ann. Cas. 1913B, 1078 ; Lynch v. North Yakima, 37 Wash. 657, 80 Pac. 79, 12 L. R. A. (N. S.) 261; Padden v. New York, 45 Misc. 517, 92 N. Y. Supp. 926 (contra, Lexington v. Thompson, 113 Ky. 540, 68 S. W. 477, 57 L. R. A. 775, 101 Am. St. Rep. 361; State v. Jennings, 57 Ohio St. 415, 49 N. E. 404, 63 Am. St. Rep. 723; State v. Anaconda, 41 Mont. 577, 111 Pac. 345). See Worthy v. Barrett, 63 N. C. 199, where a long list of public officers is given.
It has been said that members of the bar are "public officers and ministers of justice ;" Barn. Ch. 478; see also In re Cooper, 22 N. Y. 67 (which gives a very learned argument by Prof. Dwight) ; Seymour v. Ellison, 2' Cow. (N. Y.) 13; contra, In re Attorneys' Oaths, 20 Johns. (N. Y.) 492; Ex parte Yale, 24 Cal. 241, 85 Am. Dec. 62. An attorney at-law is not, indeed, in the strictest sense a public officer, but he comes very near it ; In re Robinson, 131 Mass. 376, 41 Am. 239, citing 6 Mod. 18; Re Bradley, 7 Wall. (U. S.) 364, 19 L. Ed. 214.