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On This Day 11/7/1776
10/27/2010 5:55:12 PM

Post Office stays in Benjamin Franklin's family

The Continental Congress chooses Richard Bache to succeed his father-in-law, Benjamin Franklin, as Postmaster General. Benjamin Franklin had sailed for France on behalf of the Continental Congress the previous month.

Benjamin Franklin invested nearly forty years in the establishment of a reliable system of private communications in the American colonies. He was appointed Postmaster of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1737 and then as Joint Postmaster General of the colonies, a position Benjamin Franklin held from 1753 to 1774, when he was fired for opening and publishing Massachusetts Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson's correspondence.

While Postmaster General, Benjamin Franklin streamlined postal delivery with property surveyed and marked routes from Maine to Florida, this route later became Route #1, instituted overnight Postal travel between the critical cities of New York City, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and created a standardized rate chart based upon weight and distance.

In 1774, Benjamin Franklin's baton was passed temporarily to William Goddard, a printer. William Goddard was frustrated that the Royal Postal Service was unable to reliably deliver his Pennsylvania Chronicle to its readers or critical news for the paper to him.

Thus, he laid out a plan for a "Constitutional Post" before the Continental Congress on October 5, 1774. The Continental Congress waited to act on the plan until after the "Battle of Lexington" and the "Battle of Concord" on April 19, 1775.

Benjamin Franklin promoted William Goddard's plan and served as the First Postmaster General under the Continental Congress beginning July 26, 1775, nearly one year before the Continental Congress declared independence from the British Crown.

Benjamin Franklin's son-in-law, Richrd Bache, took over the position after Benjamin Franklin became an American Emissary to France. Samuel Osgood held the Postmaster General position in New York City from 1789, when the United States Constitution came into effect, until the government moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1791.

Timothy Pickering took over then and about a year later, the passing of the "Postal Service Act" gave his post greater legislative legitimacy and more effective organization.

Timothy Pickering continued in the position until 1795, when he briefly served as Secretary of War, before becoming the third United States Secretary of State. The Postmaster General's position was considered a plum patronage post for political allies of the President until the Postal Service was transformed into a corporation run by a board of Governors in 1971.

(K) (HST)

Richard Bache Son-in-law to Patriot
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin American Patriot
Thomas Hutchinson Royal Governor of
Massachusetts
William Goddard Postmaster General
Samuel Osgood Postmaster General NY
Timothy Pickering Postmaster General PA

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