The arrest and vindication of John H. Hickcox

In January 1882, John H. Hickcox, a central government documents figure in his time, and the creator of United States Government Publications: A Monthly Catalogue or Hickcox's Monthly Catalogue was arrested in Washington, DC, for taking letters addressed to the Librarian of Congress. Although the charges were eventually dismissed, 1882 is the last year that Hickcox worked for the Library of Congress. In an effort to add to the history of the key players in government documents publishing, this paper explores this strange incident and also documents other details of Hickcox's life and his catalog, which were discovered during the course of this investigation.