The title of Postmaster General is kind of odd when you think about it. Like, you’re a general of the mail? What are you going to do, declare war against FedEx and send an army of stamps after them?
But I guess before there was the internet or even telephones, people had to use the mail for more than just receiving their Amazon packages. In fact, the United States Postal Service dates back to 1775, a full year before America declared its independence. At that time, it was simply called the United States Post Office.
Getting letters back and forth proved to be critical in the Revolutionary War, and some would say getting those local coupons in the mail today is still pretty important. With over 500,000 employees now serving the USPS, things have grown a tad bit.
And someone had to oversee it all, which meant this person became the first to hold the title of Postmaster General. Who was it?
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The answer is: Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin really was a renaissance man, even adding managing the logistics of a confederated mail system to his resumé. Before being named as the first Postmaster General by the Continental Congress in 1775, Franklin served as deputy postmaster for the Thirteen Colonies. He only held the title of Postmaster General for a little over a year, turning it over to Richard Bache in November of 1776 — presumably so he could drink more beer.Source
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