United States Postmaster General


The postmaster general of the United States is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service. The current postmaster general is Louis DeJoy, who took office June 15, 2020.
Appointed members of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service select the postmaster general and deputy postmaster general, who then join the board.

History

The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin was appointed by the Continental Congress as the first postmaster general in 1775 serving just over 15 months. Franklin had previously served as deputy postmaster for the British colonies of North America since 1753.
Until 1971, the postmaster general was the head of the Post Office Department. 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. From 1829 to 1971, the postmaster general was a member of the president's Cabinet. Prior to the Pendleton Act the postmaster general was in charge of the governing party's patronage and was a powerful position which held much influence within the party. After the spoils system was reformed but the postmaster general position remained a Cabinet post, it was often given to a new president's campaign manager or other key political supporter, as in the cases of Arthur Summerfield, W. Marvin Watson, and Larry O'Brien, and was considered something of a sinecure.
In 1971, the Post Office Department was re-organized into the United States Postal Service, an independent agency of the executive branch. Therefore, the postmaster general is no longer a member of the Cabinet and is no longer in the line of presidential succession. The postmaster general is now appointed by nine "governors", appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. The governors, along with the postmaster general and the deputy postmaster general, constitute the full Postal Service Board of Governors.
The postmaster general is the second-highest paid U.S. government official, based on publicly available salary information, after the president of the United States.

Postmasters general under the Continental Congress

Postmasters general over the U.S. Post Office Department, 1789–1971

As non-Cabinet department, 1789–1829

As cabinet department, 1829–1971

; Parties
Political PartyNameState of residenceDate appointedPresident served under
William T. BarryKentuckyMarch 9, 1829Jackson
Amos KendallKentuckyMay 1, 1835Jackson, Van Buren
John M. NilesConnecticutMay 19, 1840Van Buren
Francis GrangerNew YorkMarch 6, 1841W. H. Harrison, Tyler
Charles A. WickliffeKentuckySeptember 13, 1841Tyler
Cave JohnsonTennesseeMarch 6, 1845Polk
Jacob CollamerVermontMarch 8, 1849Taylor
Nathan K. HallNew YorkJuly 23, 1850Fillmore
Samuel Dickinson HubbardConnecticutAugust 31, 1852Fillmore
James CampbellPennsylvaniaMarch 7, 1853Pierce
Aaron V. BrownTennesseeMarch 6, 1857Buchanan
Joseph HoltKentuckyMarch 14, 1859Buchanan
Horatio KingMaineFebruary 12, 1861Buchanan
Montgomery BlairDistrict of ColumbiaMarch 5, 1861Lincoln
William DennisonOhioSeptember 24, 1864Lincoln, A. Johnson
Alexander W. RandallWisconsinJuly 25, 1866A. Johnson
John A. J. CreswellMarylandMarch 5, 1869Grant
James W. MarshallVirginiaJuly 3, 1874Grant
Marshall JewellConnecticutAugust 24, 1874Grant
James N. TynerIndianaJuly 12, 1876Grant
David M. KeyTennesseeMarch 12, 1877Hayes
Horace MaynardTennesseeJune 2, 1880Hayes
Thomas Lemuel JamesNew YorkMarch 5, 1881Garfield, Arthur
Timothy O. HoweWisconsinDecember 20, 1881Arthur
Walter Q. GreshamIndianaApril 3, 1883Arthur
Frank HattonIowaOctober 14, 1884Arthur
William F. VilasWisconsinMarch 6, 1885Cleveland
Donald M. DickinsonMichiganJanuary 6, 1888Cleveland
John WanamakerPennsylvaniaMarch 5, 1889B. Harrison
Wilson S. BissellNew YorkMarch 6, 1893Cleveland
William L. WilsonWest VirginiaMarch 1, 1895Cleveland
James A. GaryMarylandMarch 5, 1897McKinley
Charles Emory SmithPennsylvaniaApril 21, 1898McKinley, T. Roosevelt
Henry C. PayneWisconsinJanuary 9, 1902T. Roosevelt
Robert J. WynnePennsylvaniaOctober 10, 1904T. Roosevelt
George B. CortelyouNew YorkMarch 6, 1905T. Roosevelt
George von L. MeyerMassachusettsJanuary 15, 1907T. Roosevelt
Frank H. HitchcockMassachusettsMarch 5, 1909Taft
Albert S. BurlesonTexasMarch 5, 1913Wilson
Will H. HaysIndianaMarch 5, 1921Harding
Hubert WorkColoradoMarch 4, 1922Harding
Harry S. NewIndianaFebruary 27, 1923Harding, Coolidge
Walter F. BrownOhioMarch 5, 1929Hoover
James A. FarleyNew YorkMarch 4, 1933F. Roosevelt
Frank C. WalkerPennsylvaniaSeptember 10, 1940F. Roosevelt, Truman
Robert E. HanneganMissouriMay 8, 1945Truman
Jesse M. DonaldsonMissouriDecember 16, 1947Truman
Arthur E. SummerfieldMichiganJanuary 21, 1953Eisenhower
J. Edward DayCaliforniaJanuary 21, 1961Kennedy
John A. GronouskiWisconsinSeptember 30, 1963Kennedy, L. Johnson
Lawrence F. O'BrienMassachusettsNovember 3, 1965L. Johnson
W. Marvin WatsonTexasApril 26, 1968L. Johnson
Winton M. BlountAlabamaJanuary 22, 1969Nixon

Postmasters general over the U.S. Postal Service, 1971–present

Note that, while the above table indicates the president under which each postmaster general served, these postmasters general were appointed by the governors of the Postal Service and not by the president.