Famous Postmasters at the USPS

Many of us might remember the post office scene in Men In Black II when Agent J (Will Smith) goes to pull Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) out of "retirement," as Agent K was working as a postmaster at the Truro, MA 02666 post office. Of course, Agent K soon finds out that most of his staff were not Truro locals, but rather exotic aliens planted by MIB to keep watch over him. Agent K isn't just a postal employee — he's a significant agency asset, needed once again to save the world from distress and disaster.

Although not all postmasters are called out of retirement to save the world, there happen to be a lot of VIPs and famous folk who have worked at the post office. It's probably no surprise to find on a list the likes of Charles Bukowski (postal clerk in Los Angeles from the 1950s to 1960s) or even Steve Carell (rural letter carrier in Littleton, MA 01460 in 1985), but some of America's most well-known cultural and political figures also held positions as postmasters before they hit the big time.

The Notable Names

Abraham Lincoln (U.S. President)

Postmaster at New Salem, IL 62357 (1833–1836). Before the presidency, before the law career, before the Lincoln-Douglas debates — Lincoln was the postmaster of a village of about 25 families. By all accounts he took the job seriously. Lincoln reportedly carried letters in his hat and delivered them personally when he encountered recipients around town. The salary was minimal — paid based on mail volume — but the position gave him access to newspapers from across the country, which he read voraciously. The postmaster role also introduced Lincoln to the federal appointment system, experience he'd draw on throughout his political career.

Harry Truman (U.S. President)

Postmaster at Grandview, MO 64030 (1914–1915). Truman served briefly as postmaster before World War I. He later said the experience gave him an appreciation for government service at the local level. After the war, he famously applied for the postmaster position in Independence, Missouri, and was passed over — the appointment went to someone with stronger political connections. Truman later credited that rejection with pushing him into the haberdashery business, then into local politics, and eventually to the White House.

William Faulkner (Nobel Prize-winning Novelist)

Acting Postmaster and Postmaster at University, MS 38677 (1921–1924). By most accounts, Faulkner was terrible at it. He reportedly spent his time on duty writing fiction, playing cards, and ignoring customers. Complaints accumulated. He was known to toss mail into the garbage rather than sort it, and the university community filed multiple grievances about undelivered packages. When he finally resigned under pressure from a postal inspector, Faulkner allegedly said he would no longer be at the beck and call of every person who had two cents to buy a stamp. He went on to write some of the most important American novels of the 20th century. His postal career is mostly remembered as a cautionary tale about putting a writer behind a service counter.

Conrad Hilton (Hotelier)

Postmaster in San Antonio, NM (1910–1911). Before building the hotel empire that bears his name, Hilton served as postmaster in a small New Mexico town. The experience in local commerce and community service reportedly influenced his approach to the hospitality business.

Other Famous Postal Workers

The USPS maintains an official list of notable Americans who worked in the postal system. Beyond the postmasters above, the list includes musicians, athletes, actors, and writers who worked as clerks, carriers, and sorters before finding fame elsewhere. Charles Bukowski's years as a postal clerk in Los Angeles directly influenced his writing — his novel Post Office drew from that experience. Steve Carell's stint as a rural letter carrier in Massachusetts predated his comedy career by nearly two decades.

For the full list, see the USPS's official resource: Famous Postal Workers (PDF)

Why This Matters

We work with the USPS every day at our facility in New Paltz. When we process an EDDM campaign or prepare a bulk mailing, we're using infrastructure that these postmasters — at very different scales — helped build and operate. The postal system has been operating continuously since 1775, and the people who staffed it along the way are worth remembering.

Some saved the world. Some just delivered the mail. And at least one threw it in the garbage and wrote novels instead.

Sources and Citations:

1. The Men in Black franchise movies are the trademarked property of Columbia/SONY Pictures
2. Truro Post Office — Men in Black Wiki
3. USPS Famous Postal Workers (PDF)
4. USPS Postal Facts — Famous Workers Infographic

For another unusual corner of USPS history, read about the Point Roberts post office, where mail trucks drive through Canada to deliver domestic mail. Or discover more surprising things you can do with USPS mail — including mailing a potato.

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