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A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a
government official An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their su ...
responsible for overseeing the delivery of
mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sys ...
throughout the nation originated in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, where 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' in February 1512. Belatedly, in 1517, he was officially appointed to the office of 'Governor of the King's Posts', a precursor to the office of
Postmaster General of the United Kingdom The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom was a Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electr ...
, by King Henry VIII.Walker (1938), p. 37 In 1609, it was decreed that letters could only be carried and delivered by persons authorised by the Postmaster General. In the United Kingdom, the office of Postmaster General was abolished in
1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
, being replaced by the Minister of Posts and Communications. In turn, its functions were subsequently transferred to the Secretary of State at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Other examples include:


References

{{Postal system