Appointed by the Continental Congress in 1775, who was the first US Postmaster General?
"1775 <onlyinclude> The American Revolution begins this year, with the first military engagement being the April 19 Battles of Lexington and Concord on the day after Paul Revere's now-epic ride. The Second Continental Congress takes various steps toward organizing an American government, appointing George Washington commander-in-chief (June 14), Benjamin Franklin postmaster general (July 26) and creating a Continental Navy (October 13) and a Marine force (November 10) as landing troops for it, but as yet the 13 colonies have not declared independence, and both the British (June 12) and American (July 15) governments make laws. On July 6, Congress issues"
"returned from England and was appointed chairman of a Committee of Investigation to establish a postal system. The report of the Committee, providing for the appointment of a postmaster general for the 13 American colonies, was considered by the Continental Congress on July 25 and 26. On July 26, 1775, Franklin was appointed Postmaster General, the first appointed under the Continental Congress. It established a postal system that became the United States Post Office, a system that continues to operate today. In December 1776, Franklin was dispatched to France as commissioner for the United States. He took with him as"
"and controlled by a private committee that would be elected annually by the subscribers. The committee would appoint postmasters, determine postal routes, hire post-riders and fix the rates of postage. In what was to Goddard an unexpected turn of events, when the Continental Congress on July 26, 1775 authorized a post office run by the government it passed over Goddard and instead named Benjamin Franklin as the first American Postmaster General. Goddard, a one time apprentice of Franklin and who was naturally influenced by his years of experience with the colonial postal system, still felt that he was the general"
"The Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin to be the first Postmaster General of what would later become the United States Post Office Department on July 26. The United States Declaration of Independence was approved there on July 4, 1776, and the Declaration was read aloud to the public in the area now known as Independence Square. This document unified the colonies in North America who declared themselves independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain and explained their justifications for doing so. These historic events are celebrated annually with a national holiday for U.S. Independence Day. The Congress continued to meet there"
"appointed U.S. Postmaster General by President Harry S. Truman on December 16, 1947, following the resignation of Robert E. Hannegan. He served for the remainder from the Truman's administration until January 20, 1953. During this the period, he modernized the postal service and also announced the ""3 cent Gold Star Mothers"" stamp in recognition of the Sullivan brothers' and his mother. Donaldson died in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 25, 1970. He was buried at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri. Jesse M. Donaldson Jesse Monroe Donaldson (August 17, 1885March 25, 1970) was the first United States Postmaster"
"Service today. In 1775, when Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General, the U.S. Post Office was born. So important was the Postmaster General that in 1829 this position was included among those in the President's Cabinet. As America began to grow and new towns and villages began to appear, so too did the Post Office along with them. The dates and postmarks generated from these places often has provided the historian with a window into a given time and place in question. Each postmark is uniquely distinctive with its own name of state and town, in addition to"
"Franklin saw mail service expanded between Montreal, Trois-Rivières, Quebec City, and New York. For the greater part of his appointment, Franklin lived in England (from 1757 to 1762, and again from 1764 to 1774)—about three-quarters of his term. Eventually, his sympathies for the rebel cause in the American Revolution led to his dismissal on January 31, 1774. On July 26, 1775, the Second Continental Congress established the United States Post Office and named Benjamin Franklin as the first United States Postmaster General. Franklin had been a postmaster for decades and was a natural choice for the position. He had just"
"Benjamin F. Bailar Benjamin Franklin Bailar (April 21, 1934 – February 20, 2017) served as the United States Postmaster General from February 16, 1975 to March 15, 1978. He took office on February 16, 1975, succeeding Elmer T. Klassen. Previously, he had served as Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Chief Financial Officer, and Deputy Postmaster General. Bailar, a graduate of the Harvard Business School with an extensive background in finance and management, attempted to place the postal service on a strong economic footing. His major responsibility as United States Postmaster General was to ensure that the semi-independent government corporation could support"
"law passed on September 22, 1789, (1 Stat. 70) which created the federal Post Office under the new government of the United States and authorized the appointment of a Postmaster General who was subject to the direction of the President Four days later President Washington appointed the post of Postmaster General to Samuel Osgood who became the first Postmaster General under the new United States Constitution. Along with the efforts of Benjamin Franklin who pioneered the colonial mail system, Goddard and the Constitutional Post influenced Franklin greatly and helped him in the endeavor of producing a system of mail delivery"
"soon resigned when the National Congress made him a commissioner of the Treasury later that year. He moved to New York City to take up this office, which he held until the Congressional Government ended. When a new U.S. government was installed in 1789, President Washington appointed Osgood the first Postmaster General under the new U.S. Constitution, replacing Ebenezer Hazard who was commissioned postmaster of the city of New York by the Continental Congress. Osgood served as Postmaster from 1789 to 1791. One of the first things Osgood would do is make the Post Office in Baltimore the new regional"
"Second Continental Congress, his system continued. One of Franklin's first acts as Postmaster General was to appoint William Goddard as the first Postal Surveyor of the newly founded American postal system, in charge of inspecting the integrity and security of postal routes, regulating post offices, and auditing their accounts. A letter from Franklin to Goddard, dated August 7, 1775, authorized a total of $170.00 for Goddard to carry out these duties, and so August 7 is recognized as the ""birthday"" of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. In 1801, the title of ""surveyor"" was changed to ""Special Agent"". In 1830, the"
"E. T. Klassen Elmer T. (Ted) Klassen (November 6, 1908 – March 6, 1990) served as the United States Postmaster General from January 1, 1972 to February 16, 1975. In 1971 Mr. Klassen became the first Postmaster General named by the Postal Service's Board of Governors, rather than the President, under new Federal legislation. He became the 60th Postmaster General on January 1, 1972, serving until February 16, 1975, when he retired and moved to Palm Harbor. From January 22, 1969 to December 31, 1971, he had been Deputy Postmaster General. Klassen played a major role in shaping the Postal"
"conduct. Unions of the U.S. Postal Service History International associations Mail bag types Workplace violence United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS; also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service) is an independent agency of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the United States, including its insular areas and associated states. It is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution. The U.S. Mail traces its roots to 1775 during the Second Continental Congress, when Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general. The"
"Lexington. This congress convened to manage the war effort, and eventually declare independence from Great Britain. In July 1775 a national postal system, devised by William Goddard, was adopted, with Benjamin Franklin appointed as the first Postmaster General. This was an idea that had already been implemented in Rhode Island a month earlier. In December 1775 Hopkins was on a committee to report a plan for furnishing the colonies with naval armament. His knowledge of the shipping business made him particularly useful as a member of the naval committee established by Congress to purchase, outfit, man and operate the first"
"Jesse M. Donaldson Jesse Monroe Donaldson (August 17, 1885March 25, 1970) was the first United States Postmaster General to have started his career as a letter carrier. Donaldson was born in Shelbyville, Illinois. He was the son of merchant and local postmaster Moses Martin Donaldson, and his wife, Amanda Saletha Little. Donaldson was a Methodist and a Freemason. Donaldson married Nell Fern Graybill on August 14, 1911, with whom he had three children. Donaldson began his postal career in 1908, as the one of three mailmen for the Shelbyville, Illinois, then rose through the ranks of the Department. He was"
"new laws, political intelligence, and military orders circulated with a new urgency, and a postal system was necessary. Journalists took the lead, securing post office legislation that allowed them to reach their subscribers at very low cost, and to exchange news from newspapers between the thirteen states. Overthrowing the London-oriented imperial postal service in 1774–1775, printers enlisted merchants and the new political leadership, and created a new postal system. The ""United States Post Office"" (USPO) was created on July 26, 1775, by decree of the Second Continental Congress. Benjamin Franklin headed it briefly. Before the Revolution, individuals like Benjamin Franklin"
"United States Post Office Department The United States Post Office Department was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, in the form of a Cabinet department officially from 1872 to 1971. It was headed by the Postmaster General. The Postal Service Act signed by U.S. President George Washington on February 20, 1792, established the Department. Postmaster General John McLean, in office from 1823 to 1829, was the first to call it the Post Office ""Department"" rather than just the ""Post Office."" The organization received a boost in prestige when President Andrew Jackson invited his Postmaster General, William T. Barry,"
"service to the colonies between New York and Philadelphia. Goddard had presented his plan for a postal system to Congress beforehand on October 5, 1774, nearly two years before the Declaration of Independence was given to England. Congress had to deal with other urgent matters and had to delay Goddard's plan until after the Battles of Lexington and Concord in the Spring of 1775. On July 26, 1775 the plan, now known as the ""Constitutional Post"", was adopted and implemented, thus assuring communication between the colonies and keeping them informed of various events during the conflict with Britain. Distrustful of"
"created and established the Confederate Post Office. One of the first undertakings in establishing the Post Office was the appointment of John H. Reagan to the position of Postmaster General, by Jefferson Davis in 1861, making him the first Postmaster General of the Confederate Post Office as well as a member of Davis' presidential cabinet. Through Reagan's resourcefulness and remarkable industry, he had his department assembled, organized and in operation before the other Presidential cabinet members had their departments fully operational. When the war began, the US Post Office still delivered mail from the secessionist states for a brief period"
"of Representatives and ran unsuccessfully for the United States Congress in 1798. A staunch supporter of Thomas Jefferson's, Granger was appointed as Postmaster General at the start of his term in 1801. He served in this post until 1814 when Jefferson's successor, James Madison, replaced him. He is the longest serving Postmaster General as of 2015. After leaving Washington, D.C., Granger settled in Canandaigua, New York, where he built a homestead that would be ""unrivaled in all the nation"" from which he could administer the many land tracts he had acquired further to the west. Today his home is a"
"filled until 14 August 1775. Perhaps the most famous Quartermaster General was Nathanael Greene, who was the third Quartermaster General, serving from March 1778 to August 1780. The first Quartermaster General to serve in the U.S. Army was Thomas Mifflin of Pennsylvania. The position of Quartermaster General originated in the Continental Army, under order of Congress. On 16 June 1775, 2 days after the birth of the Army, Congress ordered the creation of both a Quartermaster General and a Deputy Quartermaster General. During this period Quartermaster Generals would be act like chiefs of staff for the commanders of the Continental"
"Postal Regulatory Commission. United States Post Office Department The United States Post Office Department was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, in the form of a Cabinet department officially from 1872 to 1971. It was headed by the Postmaster General. The Postal Service Act signed by U.S. President George Washington on February 20, 1792, established the Department. Postmaster General John McLean, in office from 1823 to 1829, was the first to call it the Post Office ""Department"" rather than just the ""Post Office."" The organization received a boost in prestige when President Andrew Jackson invited his Postmaster General,"
"John Creswell John Andrew Jackson Creswell (November 18, 1828December 23, 1891) was an American politician and abolitionist from Maryland, who served as United States Representative, United States Senator, and as Postmaster General of the United States appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant. Creswell is considered to be one of the ablest, if not the best, Postmaster General in United States history. Creswell modernized the U.S. Postal system to adapt to an expanding demand for increased postal routes throughout the Western states and remain competitive worldwide. Creswell also integrated the U.S. Postal system appointing both male and female African American postmasters"
"Postmaster of the United States House of Representatives The Postmaster of the United States House of Representatives was an employee of the United States Congress from 1834 to 1993. Before the creation of the office of Postmaster, mail duties were handled by workers in the office of the Doorkeeper, who were paid additional compensation. The Postmaster was made into a distinct and permanent House of Representatives employee in 1832, and in 1834, William J. McCormick, a Doorkeeper's office employee, was named as the first House Postmaster. Four years later, the Postmaster was also given responsibility for the Capitol post office."
"assuredly we shall all hang separately."" Well known as a printer and publisher, Franklin was appointed postmaster of Philadelphia in 1737, holding the office until 1753, when he and publisher William Hunter were named deputy postmasters–general of British North America, the first to hold the office. (Joint appointments were standard at the time, for political reasons.) Franklin was responsible for the British colonies from Pennsylvania north and east, as far as the island of Newfoundland. A post office for local and outgoing mail had been established in Halifax, Nova Scotia, by local stationer Benjamin Leigh, on April 23, 1754, but"
"Philadelphia from 1737 to 1753, and as joint postmaster general of the colonies from 1753 to 1774. Franklin's partnership with William Goddard in 1775 however played an integral role in the development of his ideas for a national postal system that was serve the soon to be United colonies. Goddard's ideas for a postal system were spurred by the Crown Post authorities who were manipulating the mail of the colonies as the revolution became more eminent. Goddard and his associates were forced to create an alternative system that came to be known as ""The Constitutional Post"" that would provide mail"
"Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in many countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, responsible for oversight over all other Postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsible for overseeing the delivery of mail throughout the nation originated in England, where a ""Master of the Posts"" is mentioned in the ""King's Book of Payments"", with a payment of £100 being authorised for Tuke as master of the posts in February 1512. Belatedly, in 1517, he was officially appointed to the office of ""Governor of the King's Posts"", a precursor to the office of"
"near present-day Albany, New York. Hazard was born in Philadelphia and educated at Princeton University. He established a publishing business in New York City in (1770), but quit that business after five years. He was appointed first postmaster of the city under the Continental Congress. In 1776, he was appointed as surveyor general of the Continental Post Office. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1781. In 1782 Hazard succeeded Richard Bache as the United States Postmaster General, serving until 1789. (From 1785 to 1790, New York City served as the capital of"
"day, the national board of the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association voted unanimously to call for his dismissal. July 16, the House passed the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, which included language protecting six‐day mail delivery, thereby blocking Donahoe's plan. Donahoe retired on February 1, 2015 and Megan Brennan, the first female Postmaster General, was appointed as his successor the following February. Patrick R. Donahoe Patrick R. Donahoe was the 73rd United States Postmaster General, having been appointed to the post on October 25, 2010. A 35-year veteran of the Postal Service, he reported to the Postal Service"
"to sit as a member of the Cabinet in 1829. The Post Office Act of 1872 () elevated the Post Office Department to Cabinet status. During the American Civil War (1861–1865), postal services in the Confederate States of America were provided by the Confederate States of America Post-office Department, headed by Postmaster General John Henninger Reagan. The Postal Reorganization Act was signed by President Richard Nixon on August 12, 1970. It replaced the cabinet-level Post Office Department with the independent United States Postal Service on July 1, 1971. The regulatory role of the postal services was then transferred to the"
"""John A.J. Creswell, Postmaster General"" on their deposit checks. This was brought to the attention of Postmaster Creswell by California U.S. Representative John K. Luttrell. Pacific Coast mail routes would be effected without the proper format. On February 8, 1874, in order to solve the problem, Postmaster Creswell wrote a bill to Congress that required the correct ""Postmaster General"" format be put on all postal route guarantee checks. On February 9, Representative Luttrell promptly submitted the bill written by Postmaster Creswell to the House for ratification. Creswell accepted the appointment of a United States counsel before the Alabama Claims Commission"
"Fort Hood, Texas; the late Van Dyk MacBride, Newark, New Jersey; George N. Malpass, St. Petersburg, Florida; Earl Antrim, Nampa, Idaho; David Kohn, Washington, D. C., and a few others, each contributing material in the concerted effort to create an overall account of Confederate postal history. One of the first undertakings in establishing the Confederate Post Office was the appointment of John H. Reagan (1818–1905) to Postmaster General, by Jefferson Davis in 1861, making him the first Postmaster General of the newly formed Confederate post office. Reagan was a Democratic congressman from Texas (many years after the Civil War, Texas"
"May 1775, he rushed to Mount Vernon and offered his services to Washington. In June, the Continental Congress began organizing the Continental Army. In accepting command, Washington urged the appointment of Gates as adjutant of the army. On June 17, 1775, Congress commissioned Gates as a Brigadier General and Adjutant General of the Continental Army. He is considered to be the first Adjutant General of the United States Army. Gates's previous wartime service in administrative posts was invaluable to the fledgling army, as he and Charles Lee were the only men with significant experience in the British regular army. As"