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{{short description|Chief executive of the US Postal Service}}

factoids

| formation = 1775| deputy = Deputy Postmaster General WEBSITE= CNN, September 15, 2020, }}The United States postmaster general (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS).WEB,weblink 39 U.S. Code § 203 – Postmaster General; Deputy Postmaster General, 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. The postmaster general then also sits on the board. The PMG does not serve at the president's pleasure and can only be dismissed by the Board of Governors.WEB, Members of the Board of Governors - Who we are - About.usps.com,weblink 2024-04-01, about.usps.com, The appointment of the postmaster general does not require Senate confirmation.WEB, Board of Governors Announces Selection of Louis DeJoy to Serve as Nation’s 75th Postmaster General - Newsroom - About.usps.com,weblink 2024-04-01, about.usps.com, WEB,weblink 39 U.S. Code § 202 – Board of Governors, The governors, and the postmaster general elect the deputy postmaster general.The current officeholder is Louis DeJoy, who was appointed on June 16, 2020.WEB, PMG/CEO Louis DeJoy - Who we are/Leadership - About.usps.com,weblink 2024-04-01, about.usps.com,

History

18th century

The office of U.S. postmaster general dates back to country's founding. The first position, during the colonial-era British America, was that of Postmaster General. 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.WEB,weblink Benjamin Franklin — About USPS, February 2003, United States Postal Service, Historian US Postal Service, live,weblink 6 October 2019, 6 October 2019, The formal office of the United States postmaster general was established by act of government on September 22, 1789.WEB,weblink Letters Sent By the Postmaster General, 1789-1836, National Archives and Records Service, 15 August 2016, 2 September 2023,

19th century

From 1829 to 1971, the postmaster general was a member of the president's Cabinet.

20th century

After passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act in 1883 and prior to the passage of the Hatch Act of 1939,BOOK,weblink Roosevelt: The Party Leader, 1932–1945, Sean J., Savage, 1991, University Press of Kentucky, 978-0813117553, dead,weblink July 9, 2020, the postmaster general was in charge of the governing party's patronage and was a powerful position which held much influence within the party, as exemplified by James Farley's tenure from 1933 to 1940 under Franklin D. Roosevelt.NEWS,weblink Farley and Howe to Rule Patronage; to Ease Roosevelt's Burden, They Will Meet the Office-seekers at Capital. Working All Next Month. Meantime, Republicans Plan to Reorganize Committees and Start Publicity for 1936., January 11, 1933, The New York Times, After the spoils system was reformed, the position remained a Cabinet post, and it was often given to a new president's campaign manager or other key political supporters, including Arthur Summerfield, W. Marvin Watson, and Larry O'Brien, each who played important roles organizing the campaigns of presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson, respectively, and was considered something of a sinecure. Poet and literary scholar Charles Olson, who served as a Democratic National Committee official during the 1944 U.S. presidential election, declined the position in January 1945.Until 1971, the postmaster general was the head of the Post Office Department, or simply "Post Office" until the 1820s.BOOK,weblink The United States Postal Service: An American History 1775–2006, 2020, United States Postal Service, 978-0-9630952-4-4, {{rp|60–65}} 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.{{rp|120}} In 1971, the Post Office Department was re-organized into the United States Postal Service, an independent agency of the executive branch, and the postmaster general was no longer a member of the CabinetWEB,weblink History of the United States Postal Service, Mailbox Near Me, en, 2019-11-07, nor in line of presidential succession. The postmaster general is now appointed by the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service, not appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate.{{rp|120}}WEB,weblink About the Board of Governors, United States Postal Service, 2018-05-18,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110927084552weblink">weblink 2011-09-27, dead,

List of postmasters general

Under the Continental Congress (1775–1789){| class"wikitable sortable"

!colspan=2|Name!Start!End60px)July 26, 1775}}November 7, 1776}}60px)November 7, 1776}}January 28, 1782}}60px)January 28, 1782}}September 26, 1789}}

US Post Office Department (1789–1971)

As non-Cabinet department (1789–1829)

Parties

{{legend2|{{party color|Independent (United States)}}|Independent|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}{{legend2|{{party color|Federalist Party (United States)}}|Federalist|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}{{legend2|{{party color|Democratic-Republican Party (United States)}}|Democratic-Republican|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}{| class="wikitable sortable"!colspan=3 |Name!State!Start!End!colspan=2 |President(s)60px)MassachusettsSeptember 26, 1789}}August 12, 1791}}60px)PennsylvaniaAugust 12, 1791}}January 1, 1795}}(File:Joseph Habersham.png|60px)Georgia{{dts|February 25, 1795}}{{dts|November 28, 1801}}(File:Gideon Granger.jpg|60px)Connecticut{{dts|November 28, 1801}}{{dts|March 17, 1814}}(File:Return J. Meigs, Jr 002.png|60px)Ohio{{dts|March 17, 1814}}{{dts|June 26, 1823}}(File:JohnMcLean.jpg|60px)Ohio{{dts|June 26, 1823}}{{dts|March 4, 1829}}

As cabinet department (1829–1971)

Parties

{{legend2|{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}|Democratic|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}{{legend2|{{party color|Whig Party (United States)}}|Whig|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}{{legend2|{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}|Republican|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}{|class="wikitable sortable"!colspan=3 |Name!State!Start!End!colspan=2 |President(s)60px)KentuckyMarch 9, 1829}}April 10, 1835}}(File:Amos Kendall cph.3a02184 (cropped).jpg|60px)Kentucky{{dts|May 1, 1835}}{{dts|May 18, 1840}}60px)ConnecticutMay 19, 1840}}March 4, 1841}}(File:Francis Granger (cropped 3x4).jpg|60px)New York{{dts|March 6, 1841}}{{dts|September 18, 1841}}60px)September 18, 1841}}March 4, 1845}}60px)TennesseeMarch 6, 1845}}March 4, 1849}}60px)VermontMarch 8, 1849}}July 22, 1850}}60px)July 23, 1850}}August 31, 1852}}60px)August 31, 1852}}March 4, 1853}}60px)PennsylvaniaMarch 7, 1853}}March 4, 1857}}60px)March 6, 1857}}March 8, 1859}}60px)March 9, 1859}}December 31, 1860}}60px)MaineFebruary 12, 1861}}March 4, 1861}}60px)District of ColumbiaMarch 5, 1861}}September 24, 1864}}(File:William Dennison, Jr., War Governor of Ohio.jpg|60px)Ohio{{dts|September 24, 1864}}{{dts|July 25, 1866}}60px)WisconsinJuly 25, 1866}}March 4, 1869}}60px)MarylandMarch 5, 1869}}June 22, 1874}}60px)VirginiaJuly 3, 1874}}August 24, 1874}}60px)ConnecticutAugust 24, 1874}}July 12, 1876}}60px)IndianaJuly 12, 1876}}March 3, 1877}}60px)March 12, 1877}}June 2, 1880}}60px)June 2, 1880}}March 4, 1881}}(File:Thomas L James.JPG|60px)New York{{dts|March 5, 1881}}{{dts|December 20, 1881}}60px)December 20, 1881}}March 25, 1883}}60px)April 3, 1883}}September 4, 1884}}60px)IowaOctober 14, 1884}}March 4, 1885}}60px)March 6, 1885}}January 6, 1888}}60px)MichiganJanuary 6, 1888}}March 4, 1889}}60px)March 5, 1889}}March 4, 1893}}60px)March 6, 1893}}March 1, 1895}}60px)West VirginiaMarch 1, 1895}}March 4, 1897}}60px)March 5, 1897}}April 21, 1898}}(File:Charles Emory Smith, 1898.jpg|60px)Pennsylvania{{dts|April 21, 1898}}{{dts|January 8, 1902}}60px)January 9, 1902}}October 4, 1904}}60px)October 10, 1904}}March 5, 1905}}60px)March 6, 1905}}January 14, 1907}}60px)MassachusettsJanuary 15, 1907}}March 4, 1909}}60px)March 5, 1909}}March 4, 1913}}60px)TexasMarch 5, 1913}}March 4, 1921}}60px)March 5, 1921}}March 3, 1922}}60px)ColoradoMarch 4, 1922}}March 4, 1923}}(File:Postmaster Harry Stewart New on February 27, 1923 - LCCN2016847240 (cropped).jpg|60px)Indiana{{dts|March 4, 1923}}{{dts|March 3, 1929}}60px)March 5, 1929}}March 4, 1933}}60px)March 4, 1933}}September 10, 1940}}(File:Frank C. Walker.jpg|60px)Pennsylvania{{dts|September 10, 1940}}{{dts|May 8, 1945}}60px)MissouriMay 8, 1945}}December 15, 1947}}60px)December 16, 1947}}January 20, 1953}}60px)January 21, 1953}}January 20, 1961}}60px)CaliforniaJanuary 21, 1961}}August 9, 1963}}(File:John A. Gronouski.png|60px)Wisconsin{{dts|September 30, 1963}}{{dts|November 2, 1965}}60px)November 3, 1965}}April 10, 1968}}60px)April 26, 1968}}January 20, 1969}}60px)AlabamaJanuary 22, 1969}}January 1, 1971}}">

US Postal Service (1971–present){| class"wikitable sortable"

!colspan=2 |Name!StartSince July 1, 1971, the postmaster general has been appointed by and serves under the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service.!End!colspan=2 |President(s)60px)January 1, 1971}}January 1, 1972}}{{dts|January 1, 1972}}{{dts|February 16, 1975}}{{dts|February 16, 1975}}{{dts|March 15, 1978}}(File:William Bolger 1984.jpg|60px){{dts|March 15, 1978}}{{dts|January 1, 1985}}|January 1, 1985}}January 7, 1986}}|January 7, 1986}}August 16, 1986}}|August 16, 1986}}March 1, 1988}}{{dts|March 1, 1988}}{{dts|July 6, 1992}}{{dts|July 6, 1992}}{{dts|May 16, 1998}}{{dts|May 16, 1998}}{{dts|May 31, 2001}}(File:Jack Potter 72nd United States Postmaster General.jpg|60px){{dts|June 1, 2001}}{{dts|December 6, 2010}}60px)January 14, 2011}}February 1, 2015}}(File:Megan Brennan USPMG at 225th Anniversary of U.S. Coast Guard stamp event.jpg|60px){{dts|February 1, 2015}}{{dts|June 15, 2020}}(File:Official portrait of Louis DeJoy, United States Postmaster General.jpg|60px){{dts|June 15, 2020}}present

See also

• Postmaster General
• John Reagan, the only postmaster general of the Confederate States

References

{{reflist}}

External links

• WEB,weblink Postal leadership, June 2020, USPS, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141003113127weblink">weblink 2014-10-03,
• WEB,weblink Papers of Arthur E. Summerfield, Postmaster General, 1953–1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, dead,weblink May 12, 2008,

{{United States Postal Service}}{{USPostGen}}{{US Cabinet leaders}}{{Benjamin Franklin}}{{USAConfGov}}{{Authority control}}