Talk:United States Postmaster General

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[edit] cabinet

The Postmaster General was not an official President's Cabinet until 1829, when Andrew Jackson invited William T. Barry to serve. [1]

I can't believe this hasn't been addressed in the ~4 years since this comment was posted. I'm going to fix this article and other related ones. If there's any evidence that the above source (US Postal Service) is wrong (which would be odd), I can't find it, but if anybody has any information on this please tell me. (Although it doesn't look like many people post on this talk page...) --Sam Chase 02:51, 10 February 2008 (UTC)
Is a "did you know" on the Postal Service website really sufficient as a source for this? However, it does seem to be the case. For instance, the American National Biography article on Timothy Pickering states: "In 1795 Washington elevated [Pickering] to cabinet rank, choosing him to replace Henry Knox, who had resigned as secretary of war." Pickering had, in 1795, been serving as Postmaster General for four years. None of the other articles on pre-1829 Postmasters General suggests they were in the cabinet. The article about William T. Barry states: "When Jackson entered the White House in March 1829, he named [Barry] postmaster general and elevated that position to cabinet status for the first time." So does seem pretty settled. john k (talk) 14:14, 12 April 2008 (UTC)
We do, however, need a citation for the claim that the Postmaster General was last in the order of succession. I would assume he clearly came after the original four cabinet office (State, Treasury, War, and the Attorney General), and perhaps after the Secretary of the Navy. But surely the Postmaster General would be ahead of the cabinet officers created after the office's elevation to cabinet rank - Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, HEW, HUD, and Transportation, no? Either way, we should find a source. john k (talk) 14:16, 12 April 2008 (UTC)
Further on this point. It would appear that the 1792 presidential succession act did not provide for cabinet members succeeding at all. The 1886 act and the 1947 act both say that cabinet members succeed in the order of the creation of their department. That should put the Postmaster General either immediately after the four original posts, or after Navy, but certainly before Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, etc. Can someone provide any evidence that the Postmaster General came last? john k (talk) 14:18, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Executive Powers

Did you know that according to Executive Order #11002, the Postmaster General has the authority to register every person in the US. Interesting... I wonder if it still applies.

[edit] Contact?

How would I go about contacting the higher-ups, especially the Postmaster General? Phone numbers, Addresses? And how do I find who is over the states? Like a State Postmaster General?


[edit] Postmaster General on Popular Culture

Someone should write something about the PMG as played by Wilford Brimley in that episode of seinfeld where kramer tries to stop the mail. lol.