Dorman Bridgman Eaton. Dorman Bridgman Eaton (June 27, 1823 – December 23, 1899) was an American lawyer instrumental in American federal Civil Service reform. Born at Hardwick, Vermont, he graduated at the University of Vermont in 1848 and at the Harvard Law School in 1850, and in the latter year was admitted to the bar in New York City.
Eaton early became interested in municipal and civil service reform. In 1866, he wrote the New York City Metropolitan Health Law, which created the modern day New York City health department.
Family. Eaton's father Nathaniel Eaton (1791–1878) was a Vermont state senator in 1840 and later a judge. His step-brother John M. Gilman was a lawyer and politician in St. Paul, Minnesota; another step-brother, Marcus D. Gilman, a Chicago merchant and politician. Eaton married Annie S. Foster in 1856; they had no children.
Dorman Bridgman Eaton (1823-1899), American lawyer and author, was a strong advocate of civil service reform and wrote the draft on which the Civil Service Act of 1883 was based.
Dorman Bridgman Eaton was born June 27, 1823, in Hardwick, Vermont. He was a successful lawyer who achieved prominence for his work in the establishment of the U.S. Civil Service Commission.