William F. Bolger

William F. Bolger (March 13, 1923–August 21, 1989) was the 65th Postmaster General of the United States from March 15, 1978 to January 1, 1985. He was the second career postal employee to attain the rank of Postmaster General. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE1D7103CF931A1575BC0A96F948260]

Bolger began his career with the old Post Office Department as a finance clerk in 1941. After serving as an Air Force bombardier during World War II, he resumed his career with the Post Office Department. During the 1950s he held a number of positions in the New England Region, where he became Regional Director for Boston. From 1972 to 1975 he served in New York as Regional Postmaster General for the Eastern Region. In 1975 he returned to Washington to serve as Deputy Postmaster General.

During Bolger's tenure as Postmaster General, the United States Postal Service (USPS) ran its first fiscal surplus in more than 30 years (and its first since the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970) in 1983. The USPS also maintained a surplus the next year, Bolger's last at the USPS. He witnessed the advent of electronic mail, handled several labor disputes and promoted the nine-digit ZIP code to handle the steadily rising mail load, particularly direct-mail advertising.

The USPS faced rising costs during Bolger's first years as Postmaster General, particularly from inflation in transportation and labor costs. As a result, postal rates were raised three times, including twice in 1981 when the independent Postal Rate Commission initially scaled-back Bolger's request for a 20-cent first class rate, only to reverse its decision a few months later. Bolger took a hardline with the major postal unions, including the National Postal Mail Handlers Union and the American Postal Workers Union, during negiotations in the early 1980s as part of his effort to contain labor costs. In 1970 these unions had participiated in the first nationwide strike of public employees in the United States with impunity. However, Bolger's talks occurred in the aftermath of the Air traffic controllers' strike of 1981, when President Ronald Reagan fired striking members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization. When postal union contracts expired, Bolger was able to avert a strike, but labor tensions continued.

He received the J. Edward Day Award from the Association for Postal Commerce. In 1979 he was awarded the Miles Kimball Medallion from the Mailing and Fulfillment Service Association.