United States Postmaster General
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| United States Postmaster General | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the former Post Office Department | |
| United States Postal Service | |
| Style | Madam Postmaster General |
| Status | Chief executive |
| Seat | 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, D.C. |
| Appointer | Board of Governors |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Formation | 1775 |
| First holder | Benjamin Franklin |
| Deputy | Deputy Postmaster General |
| Salary | $276,840[1] |
| Website | about.usps.com |
The postmaster general of the United States is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service. Megan Brennan is the current postmaster general.
Appointed members of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service select the postmaster general and deputy postmaster general, who then join the board.
Contents
History[edit]
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 in 1775[2] serving just over 15 months. Franklin had previously served as deputy postmaster for the British colonies of North America since 1753.
Until 1971, the postmaster general was the head of the Post Office Department (or simply "Post Office" until the 1820s).[3] 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.[4] From 1829 to 1971, the postmaster general was a member of the president's Cabinet.
The Cabinet post of postmaster general was often given[when?] 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.
In 1971, the Post Office Department was re-organized into the United States Postal Service, an independent agency of the executive branch. Therefore, the postmaster general is no longer a member of the Cabinet[5] and is no longer in the line of presidential succession. The postmaster general is now appointed by nine "governors", appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. The governors, along with the postmaster general and the deputy postmaster general, constitute the full Postal Service Board of Governors.[4][6]
The postmaster general is the second-highest paid U.S. government official, based on publicly available salary information, after the president of the United States.[7]
Postmasters general under the Continental Congress[edit]
| Name | Date appointed |
|---|---|
| Benjamin Franklin | July 26, 1775 |
| Richard Bache | November 7, 1776 |
| Ebenezer Hazard | January 28, 1782 |
Postmasters general over the U.S. Post Office Department, 1789–1971[edit]
As non-Cabinet department, 1789–1829[edit]
| Name | State of residence | Date appointed | President(s) served under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Osgood Federalist | Massachusetts | September 26, 1789 | Washington |
| Timothy Pickering Federalist | Pennsylvania[8] | August 12, 1791 | Washington |
| Joseph Habersham Independent | Georgia | February 25, 1795 | Washington, Adams, Jefferson |
| Gideon Granger Democratic-Republican Party | Connecticut | November 28, 1801 | Jefferson, Madison |
| Return J. Meigs, Jr. Democratic-Republican Party | Ohio | March 17, 1814 | Madison, Monroe |
| John McLean Democratic-Republican Party | Ohio | June 26, 1823 | Monroe, J. Q. Adams |
As cabinet department, 1829–1971[edit]
- Parties
No party Federalist Democratic-Republican Democratic Whig Republican
Postmasters general over the U.S. Postal Service, 1971–present[edit]
| Name | Date appointed[9] | President(s) served under |
|---|---|---|
| Winton M. Blount | July 1, 1971 | Nixon |
| E. T. Klassen | January 1, 1972 | Nixon, Ford |
| Benjamin F. Bailar | February 16, 1975 | Ford, Carter |
| William F. Bolger | March 15, 1978 | Carter, Reagan |
| Paul N. Carlin | January 1, 1985 | Reagan |
| Albert Vincent Casey | January 7, 1986 | |
| Preston Robert Tisch | August 16, 1986 | |
| Anthony M. Frank | March 1, 1988 | Reagan, H.W. Bush |
| Marvin Travis Runyon | July 6, 1992 | H.W. Bush, Clinton |
| William J. Henderson | May 16, 1998 | Clinton, Bush |
| John E. Potter | June 1, 2001 | Bush, Obama |
| Patrick R. Donahoe | January 14, 2011 | Obama |
| Megan Brennan | February 1, 2015 | Obama, Trump |
Note that, while the above table indicates the president under which each postmaster general served, these postmasters general were appointed by the governors of the Postal Service and not by the president.
Living former postmasters general[edit]
As of November 2017[update], there are four living former postmasters general, the oldest being Anthony M. Frank (1988–1992, born 1931). The most recent postmaster general to die was Paul N. Carlin (1985-86), on April 25, 2018.
| Name | Term of office | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony M. Frank | 1988–1992 | May 31, 1931 |
| William J. Henderson | 1998–2001 | June 16, 1947 |
| John E. Potter | 2001–2010 | 1956 (age 63–64) |
| Patrick R. Donahoe | 2011–2015 | c. 1955 (age 64–65) |
See also[edit]
- Postmaster General (disambiguation)
- John Henninger Reagan, the only postmaster general of the Confederate States of America
Notes[edit]
- ^ O'Keefe, Ed (May 10, 2011). "Salaries of top Postal Service executives revealed". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ "Benjamin Franklin — About UPS" (PDF). United States Postal Service. Historian US Postal Service. February 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ Publication 100 – The United States Postal Service: An American History 1775–2006. United States Postal Service, May 2007. Also available in PDF format.
- ^ a b United States Postal Service. "Postmasters General". about.usps.com. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
- ^ "History of the United States Postal Service". Mailbox Near Me. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
- ^ United States Postal Service. "About the Board of Governors". about.usps.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
- ^ Michael B. Sauter and Jon C. Ogg. "The 10 Highest-Paid Government Jobs". 24/7WallSt.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ "Wayback Machine". 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017.
- ^ Since July 1, 1971, the Postmaster General has been appointed by and serves under the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service.
External links[edit]
- Official site
- Papers of Arthur E. Summerfield, Postmaster General, 1953–1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
