What:

The Los Angeles District Postal Service will host a special ceremony to officiate eleven newly appointed postmasters. Each postmaster will participate in a brief ceremony where Los Angeles District Manager, Abraham Cooper, will administer the official oath of office.

Who:

Cielo Aguilar, Postmaster Whittier
Tayla Arrington, Postmaster Palos Verdes
Cesar Castaneda, Postmaster Artesia
Brian Cuellar, Postmaster Redondo Beach
Marcelo Garcia, Postmaster Santa Fe Springs
Ana Gutierrez, Postmaster South Gate
Jojo Olega, Postmaster Whittier
Pedro Partido, Postmaster Torrance
Enrique Ponce, Postmaster Buena Park
Luwanda Smith, Postmaster Gardena
Araceli Villalobos, Postmaster Lomita
Abraham Cooper, Los Angeles District Manager

When:

11:00 a.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Where:

Los Angeles Processing and Distribution Center (Atrium)
7001 S. Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90052

Please RSVP to natashi.l.garvins@usps.gov

Background:

The title, “Postmaster” carries with it both a Noble Heritage and a Vital Responsibility.

Originally, the word Postmaster was referred as the one who provided post horses. According to the Oxford Dictionary, postmaster means “master of the posts, the officer who has charge or direction of the posts.”

William Penn established Pennsylvania’s first post office in 1683.

In 1737, Benjamin Franklin was appointed Postmaster at Philadelphia. He laid out new post roads, helped expand mail service from Canada to New York and instituted overnight delivery between Philadelphia and New York City, a distance of 90 miles. In 1774, Franklin was dismissed from office in 1774 because of his efforts on behalf of the patriots.

When the Continental Congress met in May 1775, they named Franklin as postmaster general for the 13 American colonies.

From 1775 until the early 1800s, Postmasters were appointed by the postmaster general. In 1836, postmasters were appointed by the president, but this of course changed whenever a new party was elected. It was not until August 1970, with the signing of the Postal Reorganization Act, which took effect in July 1971, that the patronage system was finally removed from the postal service once and for all. Postmasters began being appointed on merit alone.

Along the way, there have been several famous individuals, who have served as postmasters. In 1833, Abraham Lincoln was appointed postmaster of New Salem, IL.

Other notable individuals who served as postmaster included abolitionist John Brown, businessman Conrad Hilton, novelist William Faulkner, and humorist Bill Nye.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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