postmaster general
n., pl., postmasters general. (Abbr. PMG)
The executive head of a national postal service.
For a list of words related to postmaster general, see:
The head of the United States Postal Service. Until 1970, the postmaster general was head of the federal Post Office Department and a member of the president's cabinet. In 1970, the Postal Service was set up as an independent agency in place of the Post Office Department. The Postal Service is operated like a private corporation, although postal workers receive the benefits of federal employees.
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.
The noun has one meaning:
Meaning #1:
the official in charge of the national postal service
The United States Postmaster General is the executive head of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin was appointed by the Continental Congress as the first Postmaster General, serving slightly longer than 15 months.
Until 1971, the Postmaster General was the head of the Post Office Department (or simply "Post Office" until the 1820s).[1] From 1829 to 1971, he was a member of the President's Cabinet.
The Cabinet post of Postmaster General was often given to a new President's campaign manager or other key political supporter, and was considered something of a sinecure. The Postmaster General was in charge of the governing party's patronage, and was a powerful position which held much influence within the party. For example, James Farley used his position as Postmaster General during Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal administration to reward party loyalists within Congress who supported Roosevelt's initial "100 days" legislation with federal patronage for their states. Federal appointments, except for a small handful, were screened by Farley before the President could approve the appointments due to the patronage position of the Postmaster General.
In 1971, the Post Office Department was re-organized into the United States Postal Service, a special agency independent of the executive branch. Thus, the Postmaster General is no longer a member of the Cabinet and is no longer in Presidential succession.
During the American Civil War, the Confederate States of America Post-office Department provided mail service for the Confederate States, headed by a Postmaster General, John Henninger Reagan.
The current Postmaster General is also known as the "CEO" of the U.S. Postal Service.
Contents
Postmasters General under the Continental Congress
| Name | Date appointed |
|---|---|
| Benjamin Franklin | July 26, 1775 |
| Richard Bache | November 7, 1776 |
| Ebenezer Hazard | January 28, 1782 |
Samuel Osgood (1747-1813)
Postmasters General under the U.S. Constitution, 1789–1829
| Name | State of Residence | Date appointed | President(s) served under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Osgood (pictured right) | New York | September 26, 1789 | Washington |
| Timothy Pickering | Pennsylvania[1] | August 12, 1791 | Washington |
| Joseph Habersham | Georgia | February 25, 1795 | Washington, Adams, Jefferson |
| Gideon Granger | Connecticut | November 28, 1801 | Jefferson, Madison |
| Return J. Meigs, Jr. | Ohio | March 17, 1814 | Madison, Monroe |
| John McLean | Ohio | June 26, 1823 | Monroe, J. Q. Adams |
Cabinet-level Postmasters General
Postmasters General under the U.S. Postal Service, 1971–present
| Name | Date appointed[2] |
|---|---|
| Winton M. Blount | July 1, 1971 |
| E. T. Klassen | January 1, 1972 |
| Benjamin F. Bailar | February 16, 1975 |
| William F. Bolger | March 15, 1978 |
| Paul N. Carlin | January 1, 1985 |
| Albert Vincent Casey | January 7, 1986 |
| Preston Robert Tisch | August 16, 1986 |
| Anthony M. Frank | March 1, 1988 |
| Marvin Travis Runyon | July 6, 1992 |
| William J. Henderson | May 16, 1998 |
| John E. Potter | June 1, 2001 |
| Patrick R. Donahoe[3] | December 6, 2010 |
See also
Notes
- ^ Publication 100 - The United States Postal Service: An American History 1775-2002. United States Postal Service, May 2007. Also available in PDF format.
- ^ Since July 1, 1971, the Postmaster General has been appointed by and serves under the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service.
- ^ McAllister, Bill (January 31, 2011). "Postage hike skips letter rate; Donahoe cuts USPS executives". Linn's Stamp News (Amos Press) 84 (4292): 10.
External links
- Official site
- List of Postmasters General
- Papers of Arthur E. Summerfield, Postmaster General, 1953-1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
| v · d · eUnited States Postmasters General | ||
|---|---|---|
| Confederal |  |
|
| Federal | ||
| Cabinet level |
Barry · Kendall · Niles · F. Granger · Wickliffe · Johnson · Collamer · Hall · Hubbard · Campbell · A. Brown · Holt · King · Blair · Dennison · Randall · Creswell · Marshall · Jewell · Tyner · Key · Maynard · James · Howe · Gresham · Hatton · Vilas · Dickinson · Wanamaker · Bissell · Wilson · Gary · Smith · Payne · Wynne · Cortelyou · Meyer · Hitchcock · Burleson · Hays · Work · New · W. Brown · Farley · Walker · Hannegan · Donaldson · Summerfield · Day · Gronouski · O'Brien · Watson · Blount |
|
| U.S. Postal Service |
| v · d · eLeaders of the United States federal executive departments |
|---|
|
Agriculture • Commerce • Defense • Education • Energy • Health and Human Services • Homeland Security • Housing and Urban Development • Interior • Justice • Labor • State • Transportation • Treasury • Veterans Affairs Past department leaders: Commerce and Labor • Health, Education, and Welfare • Navy • Post Office • War |
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- PMG (abbreviation)
- U.S. Postal Board of Governors (in marketing)
- field division manager (in marketing)
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- Wanamaker, John (American merchant)
- Postmaster (in marketing)
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- Trading with the Enemies Act
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- United States Postal Service (Government Agency Company)
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