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United States Postmaster General

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The United States postmaster general (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS).[2] The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency.

United States Postmaster General
Incumbent
Louis DeJoy
since June 16, 2020
United States Postal Service
StylePostmaster General
StatusChief executive
Member ofBoard of Governors of the United States Postal Service
Seat475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, D.C. 20260
AppointerBoard of Governors
Term lengthNo fixed term
Constituting instrument39 U.S.C. § 203
Formation1775
First holderBenjamin Franklin
DeputyDeputy Postmaster General
Salary$303,460[1]

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 president's pleasure and can only be dismissed by the Board of Governors.[3] The appointment of the postmaster general does not require Senate confirmation.[4][5] The governors and the postmaster general elect the deputy postmaster general.

The current officeholder is Louis DeJoy, who was appointed on June 16, 2020.[6]

History

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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.[7] The formal office of the United States postmaster general was established by act of government on September 22, 1789.[8]

From 1829 to 1971, the postmaster general was the head of the Post Office Department (or simply "Post Office" until the 1820s.[9]: 60–65 ) 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.[9]: 120 

After passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act in 1883 and prior to the passage of the Hatch Act of 1939,[10] 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.[11]

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.

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 Cabinet[12] 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.[9]: 120 [13]

List of postmasters general

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Under the Continental Congress (1775–1789)

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Name Start End
  Benjamin Franklin July 26, 1775 November 7, 1776
  Richard Bache November 7, 1776 January 28, 1782
  Ebenezer Hazard January 28, 1782 September 26, 1789

US Post Office Department (1789–1971)

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As non-Cabinet department (1789–1829)

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Parties

  Independent   Federalist   Democratic-Republican

Name State Start End President(s)
  Samuel Osgood Massachusetts September 26, 1789 August 12, 1791 George Washington
(1789–1797)
  Timothy Pickering Pennsylvania August 12, 1791 January 1, 1795
  Joseph Habersham Georgia February 25, 1795 November 28, 1801
John Adams
(1797–1801)
Thomas Jefferson
(1801–1809)
  Gideon Granger Connecticut November 28, 1801 March 17, 1814
James Madison
(1809–1817)
  Return Meigs Ohio March 17, 1814 June 26, 1823
James Monroe
(1817–1825)
  John McLean Ohio June 26, 1823 March 4, 1829
John Quincy Adams
(1825–1829)

As cabinet department (1829–1971)

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Parties

  Democratic   Whig   Republican

Name State Start End President(s)
  William Barry Kentucky March 9, 1829 April 10, 1835 Andrew Jackson
(1829–1837)
  Amos Kendall Kentucky May 1, 1835 May 18, 1840
Martin Van Buren
(1837–1841)
  John Niles Connecticut May 19, 1840 March 4, 1841
  Francis Granger New York March 6, 1841 September 18, 1841 William Henry Harrison
(1841)
John Tyler
(1841-1845)
  Charles Wickliffe Kentucky September 18, 1841 March 4, 1845
  Cave Johnson Tennessee March 6, 1845 March 4, 1849 James K. Polk
(1845-1849)
  Jacob Collamer Vermont March 8, 1849 July 22, 1850 Zachary Taylor
(1849–1850)
  Nathan Hall New York July 23, 1850 August 31, 1852 Millard Fillmore
(1850–1853)
  Samuel Hubbard Connecticut August 31, 1852 March 4, 1853
  James Campbell Pennsylvania March 7, 1853 March 4, 1857 Franklin Pierce
(1853–1857)
  Aaron Brown Tennessee March 6, 1857 March 8, 1859 James Buchanan
(1857–1861)
  Joseph Holt Kentucky March 9, 1859 December 31, 1860
  Horatio King Maine February 12, 1861 March 4, 1861
  Montgomery Blair District of Columbia March 5, 1861 September 24, 1864 Abraham Lincoln
(1861–1865)
  William Dennison Ohio September 24, 1864 July 25, 1866
Andrew Johnson
(1865–1869)
  Alexander Randall Wisconsin July 25, 1866 March 4, 1869
  John Creswell Maryland March 5, 1869 June 22, 1874 Ulysses S. Grant
(1869–1877)
  James Marshall Virginia July 3, 1874 August 24, 1874
  Marshall Jewell Connecticut August 24, 1874 July 12, 1876
  James Tyner Indiana July 12, 1876 March 3, 1877
  David Key Tennessee March 12, 1877 June 2, 1880 Rutherford B. Hayes
(1887–1881)
  Horace Maynard Tennessee June 2, 1880 March 4, 1881
  Thomas James New York March 5, 1881 December 20, 1881 James A. Garfield
(1881)
Chester A. Arthur
(1881–1885)
  Timothy Howe Wisconsin December 20, 1881 March 25, 1883
  Walter Gresham Indiana April 3, 1883 September 4, 1884
  Frank Hatton Iowa October 14, 1884 March 4, 1885
  William Vilas Wisconsin March 6, 1885 January 6, 1888 Grover Cleveland
(1885–1889)
  Donald Dickinson Michigan January 6, 1888 March 4, 1889
  John Wanamaker Pennsylvania March 5, 1889 March 4, 1893 Benjamin Harrison
(1889–1893)
  Wilson Bissell New York March 6, 1893 March 1, 1895 Grover Cleveland
(1893–1897)
  William Wilson West Virginia March 1, 1895 March 4, 1897
  James Gary Maryland March 5, 1897 April 21, 1898 William McKinley
(1897–1901)
  Charles Smith Pennsylvania April 21, 1898 January 8, 1902
Theodore Roosevelt
(1901–1909)
  Henry Payne Wisconsin January 9, 1902 October 4, 1904
  Robert Wynne Pennsylvania October 10, 1904 March 5, 1905
  George Cortelyou New York March 6, 1905 January 14, 1907
  George Meyer Massachusetts January 15, 1907 March 4, 1909
  Frank Hitchcock Massachusetts March 5, 1909 March 4, 1913 William Howard Taft
(1909–1913)
  Albert Burleson Texas March 5, 1913 March 4, 1921 Woodrow Wilson
(1913–1921)
  Will Hays Indiana March 5, 1921 March 3, 1922 Warren G. Harding
(1921–1923)
  Hubert Work Colorado March 4, 1922 March 4, 1923
  Harry New Indiana March 4, 1923 March 3, 1929
Calvin Coolidge
(1923–1929)
  Walter Brown Ohio March 5, 1929 March 4, 1933 Herbert Hoover
(1929–1933)
  James Farley New York March 4, 1933 September 10, 1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt
(1933–1945)
  Frank Walker Pennsylvania September 10, 1940 May 8, 1945
Harry S. Truman
(1945–1953)
  Robert Hannegan Missouri May 8, 1945 December 15, 1947
  Jesse Donaldson Missouri December 16, 1947 January 20, 1953
  Arthur Summerfield Michigan January 21, 1953 January 20, 1961 Dwight D. Eisenhower
(1953–1961)
  Edward Day California January 21, 1961 August 9, 1963 John F. Kennedy
(1961–1963)
  John Gronouski Wisconsin September 30, 1963 November 2, 1965
Lyndon B. Johnson
(1963–1969)
  Larry O'Brien Massachusetts November 3, 1965 April 10, 1968
  Marvin Watson Texas April 26, 1968 January 20, 1969
  Winton Blount Alabama January 22, 1969 January 1, 1971 Richard Nixon
(1969–1974)

US Postal Service (1971–present)

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Name Start[14] End President(s)
  Winton Blount January 1, 1971 January 1, 1972 Richard Nixon
(1969–1974)
Ted Klassen January 1, 1972 February 16, 1975
Gerald Ford
(1974–1977)
Benjamin Bailar February 16, 1975 March 15, 1978
Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
  William Bolger March 15, 1978 January 1, 1985
Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
Paul Carlin January 1, 1985 January 7, 1986
Albert Casey January 7, 1986 August 16, 1986
Preston Tisch August 16, 1986 March 1, 1988
Anthony Frank March 1, 1988 July 6, 1992
George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
Marvin Runyon July 6, 1992 May 16, 1998
Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
William Henderson May 16, 1998 May 31, 2001
George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
  John Potter June 1, 2001 December 6, 2010
Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
  Patrick Donahoe January 14, 2011 February 1, 2015
  Megan Brennan February 1, 2015 June 15, 2020
Donald Trump
(2017–2021)
  Louis DeJoy June 15, 2020 present
Joe Biden
(2021–2025)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "DeJoy hired four people who worked for his businesses to work at USPS". CNN. September 15, 2020. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  2. ^ "39 U.S. Code § 203 – Postmaster General; Deputy Postmaster General". Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  3. ^ "Members of the Board of Governors – Who we are". about.usps.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  4. ^ "Board of Governors Announces Selection of Louis DeJoy to Serve as Nation's 75th Postmaster General". about.usps.com – Newsroom. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  5. ^ "39 U.S. Code § 202 – Board of Governors". Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  6. ^ "PMG/CEO Louis DeJoy – Who we are/Leadership". about.usps.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  7. ^ "Benjamin Franklin – About USPS" (PDF). United States Postal Service. Historian US Postal Service. February 2003. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  8. ^ "Letters Sent By the Postmaster General, 1789–1836". National Archives and Records Service. August 15, 2016. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c The United States Postal Service: An American History 1775–2006 (PDF). United States Postal Service. 2020. ISBN 978-0-9630952-4-4. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  10. ^ Savage, Sean J. (1991). Roosevelt: The Party Leader, 1932–1945. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0813117553. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020.
  11. ^ "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. January 11, 1933. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  12. ^ "History of the United States Postal Service". Mailbox Near Me. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  13. ^ "About the Board of Governors". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  14. ^ Since July 1, 1971, the postmaster general has been appointed by and serves under the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service.
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