United States Postmaster General

Last updated
United States Postmaster General
Louis Dejoy Official .webp
Incumbent
Louis DeJoy
since June 16, 2020
United States Postal Service
Style Postmaster General
Status Chief executive
Member of Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service
Seat 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, D.C. 20260
AppointerBoard of Governors
Term length No fixed term
Constituting instrument 39 U.S.C.   § 203
Formation1775
First holder Benjamin Franklin
DeputyDeputy Postmaster General
Salary$303,460 [1]

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.

Contents

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. [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

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

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, [9] 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. [10]

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. [11] :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. [11] :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 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. [11] :120 [13]

List of postmasters general

Under the Continental Congress (1775–1789)

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

US Post Office Department (1789–1971)

As non-Cabinet department (1789–1829)

Parties

   Independent    Federalist    Democratic-Republican

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

As cabinet department (1829–1971)

Parties

   Democratic    Whig    Republican

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

US Postal Service (1971–present)

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

See also

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References

  1. "DeJoy hired four people who worked for his businesses to work at USPS". CNN . September 15, 2020.
  2. "39 U.S. Code § 203 – Postmaster General; Deputy Postmaster General".
  3. https://about.usps.com/who/leadership/board-governors/ [ bare URL ]
  4. https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2020/0506-bog-announces-selection-of-louis-dejoy-to-serve-as-nations-75th-postmaster-general.htm [ bare URL ]
  5. "39 U.S. Code § 202 – Board of Governors".
  6. https://about.usps.com/who/leadership/officers/pmg-ceo.htm [ bare URL ]
  7. "Benjamin Franklin — About USPS" (PDF). United States Postal Service. Historian US Postal Service. February 2003. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  8. "Letters Sent By the Postmaster General, 1789-1836". National Archives and Records Service. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  9. 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.
  10. "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.
  11. 1 2 3 The United States Postal Service: An American History 1775–2006 (PDF). United States Postal Service. 2020. ISBN   978-0-9630952-4-4.
  12. "History of the United States Postal Service". Mailbox Near Me. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  13. "About the Board of Governors". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  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.