Postmaster General

A Postmaster General,[1] in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of
that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters.

History
The practice of having a government official responsible for overseeing the delivery of mail throughout the
nation originated in England. A 'Master of the Posts' is mentioned in the King's Book of Payments, with a
payment of £100 being authorised for Sir Brian Tuke as 'Master of the King's Post'[1] in February 1512.[2]
In 1517, he was appointed to the office of 'Governor of the King's Posts', a precursor to the office of
Postmaster General of the United Kingdom, by King Henry VIII.[3] In 1609, it was decreed that letters
could only be carried and delivered by persons authorised by the Postmaster General.[1]

In the United Kingdom, the office of Postmaster General was abolished in 1969. It was replaced by the
Minister of Posts and Telecommunications. In 2000, its functions were transferred to the Secretary of State
at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).[1]

International
International equivalents include:

jurisdiction official title years

Scotland Postmaster General for Scotland 1616–1707

United States United States Postmaster General 1775–present

Ireland Postmaster-General of Ireland 1784–1831

Sri Lanka Postmaster General of Sri Lanka 1815–present

New Zealand Postmaster-General of New Zealand 1858–1989

Hong Kong Postmaster General of Hong Kong 1860–present

Canada Postmaster General of Canada 1867–1981

Australia Postmaster-General of Australia 1901–1975

References
1. Baroness Miller of Hendon (15 June 2000). "Division No. 1 (Postal Services Bill)" (https://Pu
blications.Parliament.uk/pa/ld199900/ldhansrd/vo000615/text/00615-08.htm). Lords
Hansard text for 15 June 2000 (22615-08). col. 1782. Retrieved 17 August 2013. {{cite
book}}: |website= ignored (help)
2. Brewer, J.S.; Brewer, John Sherren; Brodie, Robert Henry; Gairdner, James (1864). Letters
and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Preserved in the Public Record
Office, the British Museum, and elsewhere in England (https://Archive.org/details/lettersandp
 aper12offigoog). Vol. II, pt. II. Public Record Office, London: Longman, Green, Longman, &
Roberts. p. 1454 (https://Archive.org/details/lettersandpaper12offigoog/page/n582).
3. Walker (1938), p. 37

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