Benjamin Franklin

Independence Day: It’s a day to celebrate America — and USPS

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The day is meaningful for all Americans but has added significance for the Postal Service, whose history is inextricably linked with the nation’s fight for independence.

Nation’s first PMG, Benjamin Franklin, was born 318 years ago on January 17

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January 12, 2023 Perhaps it’s fitting that the Postal Service, an organization that has touched every corner of American life, can trace its roots to the most quintessential American. Benjamin Franklin, the nation’s first postmaster general, was born 318 years ago on Jan. 17, 1706. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and … Read more

USPS: Early Ben Franklin postal ledgers now online

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The ledgers that Benjamin Franklin kept when he was Philadelphia’s Postmaster recently became available online — in time for this weekend’s 245th anniversary of the American postal system’s birth. Franklin became America’s first Postmaster General 245 years ago when he was appointed to that position by the Second Continental Congress on July 26, 1775. Prior … Read more

Ben Franklin, postal purveyor

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To Benjamin Franklin’s successes in science, statecraft, and slyness, add a lesser-known exploit: postal service. Among the many hardships of colonial life, lack of communication perhaps ranked right behind hunger and fear. In the absence of a service operated by the British crown, many fledgling colonies instituted private mail systems. In 1683, the Pennsylvania Assembly … Read more

What happened to request for Presidential Proclamation establishing a “Postal Heritage Day”?

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The Postal Service was established on July 26, 1775, when an act of the Second Continental Congress created the United States Post Office Department, and named Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General.  July 26, 2015 will be the agency’s 240th birthday. On June 5, 2015, the NPMHU, APWU, NALC and NRLCA jointly endorsed a request … Read more

February 20, 1792 – A big day in the history of the United States Postal Service

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On February 20, 1792, President George Washington officially created the modern United States Postal Service by signing a sweeping act that promoted a free press and put privacy safeguards in place. Mail delivery and an earlier version of the Service had been in place since 1775, when Benjamin Franklin was named as the first postmaster … Read more

Red letter day: The USPS poised to deliver ‘frank appraisal’ of its status

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By Jennifer Harper – Monday, January 5, 2015 Now that the holiday rush is over, change is afoot in the nation’s mail. On Tuesday, outgoing Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, who has led the oft-challenged U.S. Postal Service for four years, heads to the National Press Club for some candid talk about the future of an … Read more

Strike a blow for democracy – save Canyon’s post office

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Benjamin Franklin must have been the coolest guy in the world to hang out with at a coffee shop. He had the brilliance to look at the small stuff (and had to invent bifocals to do it) while seeing the big picture: America can be the strongest and most democratic country in the world, he … Read more