SCOTT #3139 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SOUVENIR SHEET

When the American Revolution began in 1775, Benjamin Franklin was the obvious choice to take over the country’s mail system.  That’s because he was previously the Colonies’ postmaster general for the Crown.  He was appointed as America’s first-ever postmaster general on July 26, 1775.  (We became the United States in 1776.)

As postmaster, Franklin was a dynamo – he standardized rates, surveyed mail routes, slashed delivery times between major cities by half, and more.  He even donated his $1,000 salary to relief for wounded Continental soldiers!  Franklin’s work in taking over the mail system was

US #3139 1997 Franklin Issue Honors 150 Years of U.S. Postage Stamps Faithful Reproduction of U.S. #1

rewarded in 1847 when he was pictured on the first official US postage stamp.  He’s been honored on countless stamps over the years – more than most former presidents…