WordNet
n. the official in charge of the national postal service
Wikipedia
A Postmaster General, in many countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, responsible for oversight over 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 authorised for Tuke as master of the posts in February 1512. 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. In 1609 it was decreed that letters could only be carried and delivered by persons authorised by the Postmaster General.
Other examples include:
- Postmaster General of Canada, beginning in 1867
- Postmaster-General's Department, Australia, beginning in 1901
- Postmaster-General of New Zealand, 1858–1989
- Postmaster General of Sri Lanka, beginning in 1815
- Postmasters General of Ireland, 1784–1831
- Postmaster General for Scotland, 1616–1707 then as Deputy Postmaster General for Scotland, 1710–1831
- United States Postmaster General, beginning in 1775
- Postmaster General of Hong Kong, beginning in 1860
- Postmaster General of Army of the Republic of Nicaragua, beginning February in 1856, Colonel Alex P. Jones
Usage examples of "postmaster general".
They wrote to the Postmaster General in Washington, who tossed their complaint to an underling, who answered: Those at the North can insist that we carry their mail to the South, and this we do, but it is understandable if southern postmasters burn it in conformance to local law.
They wrote to the Postmaster General in Washington, who tossed their complaint to an underling, who answered: “.
Reagan, Postmaster General, came in with Thomas Bragg, the Attorney General.
I am not listening to a very long nomination speech in favour of a former postmaster general called Jewell.
When Postmaster General Burleson had wired the President urging him to support McAdoo, Wilson had turned into King Lear upon the heath.
In another, classified section of the police archives was a copy of a letter from Klapaucius in which he demanded the immediate shipment of ( 1 ) a life size doll representing the Postmaster General in full regalia, and (2) a light gig painted green with a kerosene lamp on the left and a sky-blue sign on the back that said THINK.
Later he became the first Postmaster General, and from there moved over to replace Henry Knox as Secretary of War.