FreightWaves Classics is sponsored by Old Dominion Freight Line — Helping the World Keep Promises. Learn more here.
Benjamin Franklin’s importance in American history is undisputed, but his lesser-known work as postmaster general may have laid the foundations for his later accomplishments.
In fact, it is very likely that his broader renown could be thanks to his time with the Postal Service.
In 1737, Franklin became the postmaster of Philadelphia, appointed by Deputy Postmaster General of America Alexander Spotswood. Control of the Postal Service remained under the British crown, since this was still almost four decades prior to U.S. independence.
As the Philadelphia postmaster, Franklin had access to perks that others at the time did not. He was able to send out his own newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette, for free and correspond with numerous prominent figures. Stanford historian Caroline Winterer even refers to this time period as the beginning of social networks, when people around the world were able to communicate more than ever before. It was simply letters instead of tweets.
This ability to more easily communicate spread Franklin’s ideas on both continents and could likely be the reason for much of his fame.
But that’s not to say that his spotlight was undeserved. Historians believe that to have been placed as the very first postmaster general of the United States, which he would eventually become, he must have had immense respect from others in office.
Franklin quickly rose through the ranks from postmaster of Philadelphia to comptroller and from there successfully lobbied for the role of postmaster general after the death of Elliott Benger, who previously held the role. Franklin shared the position with William Hunter of Virginia.
The Founding Father made quick work of innovating within the Postal Service. He sent riders out at night, cutting delivery time for a letter from Philadelphia to New York and a reply to under 24 hours. He also did extensive on-the-ground research of postal routes and roads to determine upgrades and the best directions for delivery.
According to the U.S. Postal Service, Franklin also installed a policy from England that delivered letters that were not originally called for, meaning collected, for the cost of a penny. And, he allowed the admittance of all newspapers through the mailing service for a small fee. In the past, other postmasters general who owned newspapers would simply bar any other publication from the Postal Service.
Franklin eventually worked remotely from England, but things took a turn when resistance to the crown was growing and it was clear the postmaster general leaned toward Colonist loyalty. He helped facilitate the release of letters from the British governor of Massachusetts, which showed the extent of British suppression of the Colonists. He was fired in January 1774.
However, it became clear he was the glue holding the operation together when he returned to the United States without the title of postmaster general and the Postal Service started to fall apart. Other independent postal agencies began to pop up, according to the History Channel.
Franklin helped create one of these independent systems that would later become the U.S. Postal Service. Some others also bid their services to become the official postal service, but Franklin was declared postmaster general by Congress as the United States was less than a year away from declaring independence. He was given a salary that would be equivalent to $33,000 today.
The postmaster general established a well-oiled machine before having to leave the position after only a year to act as ambassador to France after he and the other Founding Fathers declared independence.
FreightWaves Classics articles look at various aspects of the transportation industry’s history. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter!
Have a topic you want us to cover? Email bjaekel@freightwaves.com.