This is a bureau of the Treasury Department, which, for convenience, is located in the General Post Office. To this officer is assigned the duty of auditing the accounts of the Post Office Department, all communications relating to the accounts of postmasters, mail contractors, and other agents of the Department, are addressed to this officer.
The head of so large and important a department of the public service is properly a chief officer of the government and has a seat in the cabinet.
NUMBER OF POST OFFICES AND MILES OF POST ROADS IN THE U. S.
| In | 1790 | there were but | 75 | post offices, and | 1,875 | m. of post-roads. |
| 1800 | ” | 903 | ” | 20,817 | ” | |
| 1810 | ” | 2,300 | ” | 36,400 | ” | |
| 1820 | ” | 4,500 | ” | 72,492 | ” | |
| 1830 | ” | 8,450 | ” | 115,176 | ” | |
| 1840 | ” | 13,463 | ” | 155,739 | ” | |
| 1850 | ” | 18,417 | ” | 178,672 | ” | |
| 1860 | ” | 28,498 | ” | 240,594 | ” | |
| 1870 | ” | 28,492 | ” | 231,232 | ” |
POSTMASTERS GENERAL.
- Samuel Osgood, Mass., Sept. 26, 1789.
- Timothy Pickering, Mass., Aug. 12, 1791.
- Joseph Habersham, Ga., Feb. 25, 1795.
- Gideon Granger, Ct., Nov. 28, 1801.
- Return J. Meigs, O., March 17, 1814.
- John McLean, O., June 25, 1823.
- William T. Barry, Ky., March 9, 1829.
- Amos Kendall, Ky., March 1, 1835.
- John M. Niles, Ct., May 18, 1840.
- Francis Granger, N. Y., March 6, 1841.
- Charles A. Wickliff, Ky., Sept. 13, 1841.
- Cave Johnson, Tenn., March 5, 1845.
- Jacob Collamer, Vt., March 7, 1849.
- Nathan K. Hall, N. Y., July 20, 1850.
- S. D. Hubbard, Ct., Aug. 31, 1852.
- James Campbell, Pa., March 5, 1853.
- Aaron V. Brown, Tenn., March 6, 1857.
- Joseph Holt, Ky., March 14, 1859.
- Horatio King, Jan. 1, 1861.
- Montgomery Blair, Md., March 7, 1861.
- William Dennison, O., Oct. 1, 1864.
- Alexander W. Randall, Wis., July 15, 1866.
- J. A. J. Creswell, Md., March 5, 1869.
- ” ” reappointed March 17, 1873.
- Marshall Jewell, July 1874.