Omar Bennett
The United States Postmaster General is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service and is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The first postmaster general under the Constitution was Samuel Osgood, appointed by President George Washington in 1789. However, the first postmaster general of the United Colonies was Benjamin Franklin, appointed by the Continental Congress in 1775.
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What You'll Learn
Benjamin Franklin was the first postmaster general
Franklin was a natural choice for the role. As a newspaper man, he was intimately familiar with the workings of a post office. At the time, newspaper printing and postal services went hand-in-hand. Franklin had also previously served as postmaster of Philadelphia. When he became joint postmaster general in 1753, he made numerous improvements to the mail system, including setting up new, more efficient colonial routes and cutting delivery times. He improved the postal service so much that it recorded its first profit in 1760.
However, the British fired Franklin in 1774 because of his revolutionary activities and sympathies with the disgruntled colonists. Nonetheless, the following year, he was appointed postmaster general by the Continental Congress. Franklin held the job until late 1776 when he was sent to France as a diplomat. During his tenure, he further improved the mail system, leaving a legacy of routes from Florida to Maine and regular service between the colonies and Britain.
The formal office of the United States postmaster general was established by an act of government on September 22, 1789. Appointed by President George Washington, Samuel Osgood was the first postmaster general of the United States of America under the new US Constitution.
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Appointed by the Continental Congress in 1775
On July 26, 1775, the Second Continental Congress established the U.S. postal system and appointed Benjamin Franklin as its first postmaster general. Franklin, who had previously served as deputy postmaster for the Thirteen Colonies since 1753, was a natural choice for the position. He had extensive knowledge of the postal service, having worked as a newspaper man and joint postmaster general, and had implemented numerous improvements to the mail system, including the establishment of new, more efficient colonial routes and faster delivery times.
During the early colonial era, American colonists rarely sent mail to each other, and their correspondence was primarily with letter writers in Britain. Mail deliveries from across the Atlantic were infrequent and often took months to arrive. There were no post offices in the colonies, and mail was typically left at inns and taverns. Franklin's appointment as postmaster general was a significant step towards independence from Britain, as it allowed the American colonists to establish their postal service, free from British control.
Franklin served as postmaster general until late 1776 when he was sent to France as a diplomat. During his tenure, he further improved the mail system, introducing new routes from Florida to Maine and regular service between the colonies and Britain. His contributions laid the foundation for many aspects of today's mail system. After Franklin's departure, his son-in-law, Richard Bache, and Ebenezer Hazard, served as postmaster general before Samuel Osgood became the first postmaster general of the United States of America in 1789.
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He improved the mail system
Benjamin Franklin was appointed by the Continental Congress as the first postmaster general in 1775. He had previously served as deputy postmaster for the Thirteen Colonies since 1753.
Franklin put in place the foundation for many aspects of today’s mail system. During early colonial times in the 1600s, few colonists needed to send mail to each other; it was more likely that their correspondence was with letter writers in Britain. Mail deliveries from across the Atlantic were sporadic and could take many months to arrive. There were no post offices in the colonies, so mail was typically left at inns and taverns.
Franklin made numerous improvements to the mail system. He set up new, more efficient colonial routes and cut delivery time in half between Philadelphia and New York by having the weekly mail wagon travel both day and night via relay teams. He also changed the system to ensure that no one would get special treatment. All newspapers would be delivered for the same small fee. In fact, he improved the postal service so much that it recorded its first profit in 1760. Despite these positive changes, the British fired him in 1774 because of his revolutionary activities and sympathies with the colonists.
The first Postmaster General of the new United States of America was Samuel Osgood, appointed by President George Washington in 1789.
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The US postmaster general is the CEO of USPS
The US Postmaster General is the CEO of the USPS and is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The position dates back to the country's founding, with Benjamin Franklin appointed as the first postmaster general in 1775 by the Continental Congress. Franklin had previously served as deputy postmaster for the Thirteen Colonies since 1753 and was a newspaper man, making him intimately familiar with the workings of a post office.
The formal office of the United States Postmaster General was established by an act of government on September 22, 1789. From 1829 to 1971, the postmaster general was the head of the Post Office Department and was a member of the president's Cabinet. During this time, the postmaster general was appointed by the president of the United States, with the advice and consent of the Senate.
However, after the reorganization of the U.S. Post Office Department into the U.S. Postal Service in 1971, the office of Postmaster General was removed from the U.S. Cabinet. Since then, the Postmaster General has been appointed by the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service and sits on this board as well. The current Postmaster General is Louis DeJoy, who was appointed on June 16, 2020.
The first Postmaster General of the United States of America under the Constitution was Samuel Osgood, appointed by President George Washington in 1789. Osgood presided over a network of 75 post offices and 2,400 miles of post roads. He provided his family home in New York City to President Washington, which became the new nation's first executive mansion.
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Appointed by the Board of Governors of the Postal Service
The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by the Board of Governors of the Postal Service, which is appointed by the president. The postmaster general then also sits on the board. The PMG does not serve at the pleasure of the president and can only be dismissed by the Board of Governors. The appointment of the postmaster general does not require Senate confirmation. The governors and the postmaster general elect the deputy postmaster general.
The first postmaster general of the United States of America was Samuel Osgood, appointed in 1789. Osgood, a former Massachusetts congressman, presided over a network of 75 post offices and 2,400 miles of post roads. He provided his family home in New York to President George Washington, who appointed him, and it became the new nation's first executive mansion. When the federal government moved to Philadelphia in 1791, Osgood chose to stay in New York and resigned his appointment as Postmaster General.
Prior to Osgood's appointment, Benjamin Franklin had been appointed as the first postmaster general in 1775 by the Continental Congress. He had previously served as deputy postmaster for the Thirteen Colonies since 1753. However, this was before the formal office of the United States postmaster general was established by an act of government on September 22, 1789.
From 1829 to 1971, the postmaster general was the head of the Post Office Department and was a member of the president's Cabinet. During that era, the postmaster general was appointed by the president of the United States, with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. After the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act was passed in 1883, and before the Hatch Act of 1939 was enacted, the postmaster general was in charge of the governing party's patronage and held a powerful and influential position.
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Frequently asked questions
Samuel Osgood was appointed by President George Washington as the first Postmaster General of the United States of America under the Constitution in 1789.
Benjamin Franklin was appointed by the Continental Congress as the first Postmaster General of the United States in 1775.
The Postmaster General is now appointed by the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service, not the President.
The current Postmaster General is Louis DeJoy, who was appointed on June 16, 2020.
