U.S. Mail Service Chronology
Key Events in Postal Service History
1775 — Benjamin Franklin becomes the first postmaster general under the Continental Congress. 1789 — Samuel Osgood becomes the first postmaster general under the U.S. Constitution. 1823 — Congress designates navigable waters as postal routes. 1829 — The postmaster general joins Cabinet. 1830 — The Office of Instructions and Mail Depredations is established. It later becomes the Office of the Chief Postal Inspector. 1847 — The first U.S. postage stamps are issued. 1852 — The first stamped envelopes are issued. 1855 — Registered mail begins. Prepayment of postage becomes compulsory. 1858 — Street letter boxes are installed. 1860 — The…
