The post of Adjutant General was established by the Constitution of 1780, which authorized the governor to appoint such an official (Const Pt 2, C 2, S 1, Art 10). While elaborated upon many times by legislation, the fundamental functions of this position have remained constant. In keeping with a governmental perspective in which the civil authority controls the military, the adjutant general serves as executive administrator of the Military Establishment on behalf of the governor in his capacity as commander-in-chief. For an expanded agency history, see: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcpdf/collection-guides/FA_PS.pdf

St 1877, c 214 provided that the chief of the State Detective Force appoint inspectors of factories and public buildings. St 1879, c 305, which replaced the State Detective Force with the District Police, provided that the governor appoint inspectors of factories and public buildings from among their number. St 1888, c 113 provided for their inclusion in an Inspection Dept. in the District Police. (St 1912, c 726, c 12 removed inspectors of factories to the State Dept. of Labor and Industries.) St 1913, c 610 divided the Inspection Dept. into the Building Inspection Dept. and the Boiler Inspection Dept. St 1919, c 350, which replaced District Police (Force) and other state agencies with the Dept. of Public Safety (s 99), reunited the functions of the two inspection units in the new department's Division of Inspections (s 103; Division of Inspection per GL 1921, c 22, s 3). St 1972, c 802, which delegated immediate responsibility for inspection to the local level, provided for district inspectors within the division to review local building inspection practices and to supervise enforcement of the state building code (s 4, effective 1975). The division's functions are currently described in MGLA c 143 and c 146. For an expanded agency history, see: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcpdf/collection-guides/FA_PS.pdf