United States Postmaster General

History

The office of U.S. postmaster general predates the country's founding. 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. The formal office of the United States postmaster general was established by act of government on September 22, 1789.

From 1829 to 1971, the postmaster general was the head of the Post Office Department (or simply "Post Office" until the 1820s) 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 passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act in 1883 and prior to the passage of the Hatch Act of 1939, 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.

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 of whom 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.

In 1971, the Post Office Department was re-organized into the United States Postal Service, an independent agency of the executive branch. The postmaster general is now appointed by the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service, not appointed by the president. As such, the postmaster general is no longer a member of the Cabinet or in line of presidential succession.

List of postmasters general

The following persons held the position of postmaster general:

Under the Continental Congress (1775–1789)

US Post Office Department (1789–1971)

As non-Cabinet department (1789–1829)

;Parties

As cabinet department (1829–1971)

;Parties

US Postal Service (1971–present)

References

References

1. (September 15, 2020). "DeJoy hired four people who worked for his businesses to work at USPS".
2. "39 U.S. Code § 203 – Postmaster General; Deputy Postmaster General".
3. "Members of the Board of Governors – Who we are".
4. "Board of Governors Announces Selection of Louis DeJoy to Serve as Nation's 75th Postmaster General".
5. "39 U.S. Code § 202 – Board of Governors".
6. (February 2003). "Benjamin Franklin – About USPS". Historian US Postal Service.
7. (15 August 2016). "Letters Sent By the Postmaster General, 1789–1836". National Archives and Records Service.
8. (2020). "The United States Postal Service: An American History 1775–2006". United States Postal Service.
9. Savage, Sean J.. (1991). "Roosevelt: The Party Leader, 1932–1945". University Press of Kentucky.
10. (January 11, 1933). "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.". The New York Times.
11. "About the Board of Governors". United States Postal Service.
12. "History of the United States Postal Service".
13. "List of Postmasters General". USPS.
14. "U.S. Postmasters General". Smithsonian Nation Postal Museum.
15. Since July 1, 1971, the postmaster general has been appointed by and serves under the [[Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service]].
16. Shields, Todd J.. (May 21, 2001). "NEW POSTMASTER GENERAL NAMED".
17. (October 25, 2010). "Postmaster General John E. Potter to Retire". USPS.
18. (January 14, 2011). "Donahoe Sworn In as 73rd Postmaster General of the United States". USPS.
19. (November 14, 2014). "Postmaster General Donahoe to Retire February 2015". USPS.
20. (February 2, 2015). "Megan Brennan 74th Postmaster General of the United States". USPS.
21. (October 16, 2019). "United States Postal Service Announces Retirement of Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan". USPS.
22. (May 6, 2020). "Board of Governors Announces Selection of Louis DeJoy to Serve as Nation’s 75th Postmaster General". USPS.
23. Heckman, Jory. (March 24, 2025). "DeJoy leaves USPS amid search for new postmaster general". [[WFED]].
24. (May 9, 2025). "Postal Service Board of Governors appoints David Steiner to be 76th Postmaster General and CEO of the United States Postal Service". USPS.