Postmaster General
A postmaster general, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, responsible for overseeing 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 authorized 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 authorized by the postmaster general.[3]
Other examples include:
- Postmaster-General of Australia, 1901–1975
- Postmaster General of Canada, 1867–1981
- Postmaster General of Hong Kong, 1860–present
- Postmaster-General of Ireland, 1784–1831
- Postmaster-General of New Zealand, 1858–1989
- Postmaster General for Scotland, 1616–1707
- Postmaster General of Sri Lanka, 1815–present
- United States Postmaster General, 1775–present
References
- ^ Brewer, J.S.; Brewer, John Sherren; Brodie, Robert Henry; Gairdner, James (1864). Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII. London: Longman, Green, Longman, & Roberts. pp. 1454.
- ^ Walker (1938), p. 37
- ^ "Division No. 1 (Postal Services Bill) [15 Jun 2000] – Column 1782". Volume No. 613 – Part No. 104. Hansard. 15 Jun 2000. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
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