Postmaster General
A Postmaster General, in many countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, responsible for oversight over all other Postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsible for overseeing the delivery of mail throughout the nation originated in England, where a Master of the Posts is mentioned in the King's Book of Payments, with a payment of £100 being authorised for Tuke as master of the posts in February 1512.[1] Belatedly, in 1517, he was officially appointed to the office of Governor of the King's Posts, a precursor to the office of Postmaster General of the United Kingdom, by Henry VIII.[2] In 1609 it was decreed that letters could only be carried and delivered by persons authorised by the Postmaster General.[3]
Other examples include:
- Postmaster General of Canada, beginning in 1867
- Postmaster-General's Department, Australia, beginning in 1901
- Postmaster-General of New Zealand, 1858–1989
- Postmaster General of Sri Lanka, beginning in 1815
- Postmasters General of Ireland, 1784–1831
- Postmaster General for Scotland, 1616–1707 then as Deputy Postmaster General for Scotland, 1710–1831
- United States Postmaster General, beginning in 1775
- Postmaster General of Hong Kong, beginning in 1860
- Postmaster General of Army of the Republic of Nicaragua, beginning February in 1856, Colonel Alex P. Jones
References
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Look up postmaster general in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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