A mailgram is a type of

telegraphic Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

message which is delivered to the recipient by the

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

. Mailgrams are received at a mailgram center by telephone, teletypewriter service or computer. Each message is placed in a special envelope and dispatched to the local post office for delivery with the mail.

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company chang ...

invented the mailgram in 1970 and registered the

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...

"Mailgram". Service via

Westar Westar was a fleet of geosynchronous communications satellites operating in the C band which were launched by Western Union from 1974 to 1984. There were seven Westar satellites in all, with five of them launched and operating under the Westar ...

, Western Union's own

communications satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth. C ...

, was introduced in 1974. The advantage of mailgrams over postal mail is speed and verifiability of transmission. In the late 20th century they were widely used in official notifications and

legal Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

transactions. Their advantage over full-rate telegrams was lower cost while still maintaining the look and feel of an important telegram. The mailgram quickly became a widely used medium for business-to-consumer communications. Although

iTelegram International Telegram or iTelegram provides telegram, mailgram and telex service. In the United States, iTelegram still operates the telex service which, until 2006, was marketed under the Western Union brand. It acquired the Western Union teleg ...

still provides a mailgram service in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, Western Union discontinued all telegram messaging, including Mailgram, in 2006.

References

External links

iTelegram
Mailgram description Telegrams History of telecommunications Western Union {{telecomm-stub