About The Oldest Government Entity In America
In 1775, the Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General
A government service is a service provided by a government to its citizens and residents. These services are designed to meet the needs of the public, improve quality of life, and ensure the welfare of the community.
There are many types of government entity services including Public Safety, Education, Healthcare, Transportation, Social Services, Environmental, and Utilities. The oldest government entity service is the United States Postal Service (USPS).
During the American Revolution, USPS was established on July 26, 1775 when the Second Continental Congress founded the United States Post Office. On that day, Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General.
The Smithsonian recognizes the United States Postal Service (USPS) as the first function of the new government itself. The United States Postal Inspection Services (USPIS) acknowledges it as America's oldest federal law enforcement agency. The Supreme Court acknowledges it as the nation’s oldest and largest public business.
The United States Postal Service was created, and is currently headquartered, in Washington, DC. In the nearly 250 years since Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General in 1775, the Postal Service has grown and changed with America, boldly embracing new technologies to better serve a growing population.
On February 20, 1792, President George Washington officially created the modern United States Postal Service by signing a sweeping act that promoted a free press and put privacy safeguards in place.
In 1896, the USPS began offering rural free delivery, allowing rural residents to receive mail directly at their homes. The 20th century saw further innovations, including airmail services starting in 1918 and the introduction of ZIP codes in 1963 to improve mail sorting and delivery efficiency.
The Postal Service was created as an independent establishment of the executive branch by the Postal Reorganization Act (39 U.S.C. 101 et seq.), approved August 12, 1970. The present United States Postal Service commenced operations on July 1, 1971. The Postal Service has approximately 705,000 career employees and handles about 212 billion pieces of mail annually.
The Postal Service has been witness to every major event in American history, from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War, two World Wars, the Space Age, and into the digital era. Despite facing modern challenges from email and private delivery services, the USPS continues to deliver to every address in the United States, maintaining its founding mission of connecting Americans across vast distances.
The chief executive officer of the Postal Service, the Postmaster General, is appointed by the nine Governors of the Postal Service, who are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.
The Governors and the Postmaster General appoint the Deputy Postmaster General, and these 11 people constitute the Board of Governors. In addition to the national headquarters, there are area and district offices supervising more than 37,000 post offices, branches, stations, and community post offices throughout the United States.
The Postal Service is a unique institution, with elements of both a business and a public service. Today, the United States Postal Service remains a vital part of American infrastructure, providing mail and package delivery services across the country and around the world. Now it depends almost entirely on sales to keep the lights on.