United_States_Postmaster_General

United States Postmaster General

United States Postmaster General

Chief executive of the US Postal Service

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.

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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)

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US Post Office Department (1789–1971)

As non-Cabinet department (1789–1829)

Parties

  Independent   Federalist   Democratic-Republican

More information Name, State ...

As cabinet department (1829–1971)

Parties

  Democratic   Whig   Republican

More information Name, State ...

US Postal Service (1971–present)

More information Name, Start ...

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "DeJoy hired four people who worked for his businesses to work at USPS". CNN. September 15, 2020.
  2. [2]
    "39 U.S. Code § 203 – Postmaster General; Deputy Postmaster General".
  3. [3]
    "Members of the Board of Governors - Who we are - About.usps.com". about.usps.com. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  4. [4]
    "Board of Governors Announces Selection of Louis DeJoy to Serve as Nation's 75th Postmaster General - Newsroom - About.usps.com". about.usps.com. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  5. [5]
    "39 U.S. Code § 202 – Board of Governors".
  6. [6]
    "PMG/CEO Louis DeJoy - Who we are/Leadership - About.usps.com". about.usps.com. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  7. [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. [8]
    "Letters Sent By the Postmaster General, 1789-1836". National Archives and Records Service. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  9. [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. [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. [11]
    The United States Postal Service: An American History 1775–2006 (PDF). United States Postal Service. 2020. ISBN 978-0-9630952-4-4.
  12. [12]
    "History of the United States Postal Service". Mailbox Near Me. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  13. [13]
    "About the Board of Governors". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  14. [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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