The following quote is borrowed from Wikipedia. I thought it interesting and wanted to pass it on. Many of you are already familiar with the history of mail in the United States and with the histories of the Founders. From what I've read on the position of Postmaster General, Franklin may not only have been the first Postmaster General, but the last Postmaster General with real responsibility. From 1829 until 1971 the Postmaster General was member of the President's Cabinet and the position was said to be sinecure. The first U.S. postage stamp bore Franklin's image. It was produced in 1847. On July 26, 1775, the Second Continental Congress established the United States Post Office and named Benjamin Franklin as the first United States Postmaster General. Franklin had been a postmaster for decades and was a natural choice for the position.[80] Franklin had just returned from England and was appointed chairman of a Committee of Investigation to establish a postal system. The report of the Committee, providing for the appointment of a postmaster general for the 13 American colonies, was considered by the Continental Congress on July 25 and 26. On July 26, 1775, Franklin was appointed Postmaster General, the first appointed under the Continental Congress. It established a postal system that became the United States Post Office, a system that continues to operate today.
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