SCOTT #740 YOSEMITE 1 CENT

 

As you know, President Franklin Roosevelt was a stamp collector.  During his administration, he took it upon himself to work with the Post Office Department to help create and approve new stamps. 

As FDR was reviewing suggestions for the 1934 schedule, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes saw an opportunity to advertise the National Parks System.  Ickes felt many Americans were unaware the federal government had set aside large amounts of land for their enjoyment and for future generations.  At his suggestion,

US #740 – First stamp in the National Park Set

1934 had been declared National Parks Year.  Ickes now proposed the legacy of the national parks be portrayed on postage stamps, which FDR approved immediately.  Ten parks were chosen and the first stamp was issued on July 16, 1934, honoring Yosemite National Park.