Edward Smith Lees

Lees was personally knighted by King George IV during his state visit to Ireland in the same year.

[3][1] For many years Lees had a heart complaint and died at Broughty Ferry, on the outskirts of Dundee on 24 September 1846.

[5] Following several official reports, mostly commissioned by the House of Commons, that exposed scandals at the Irish Post Office it was considered that it was no longer possible to let Ireland continue to manage its own postal affairs as it had done since 1784.

[6][7] In April 1840, as part of the British postal reforms, Lees was responsible for informing the Scottish postmaster about the introduction of the first postage stamps and the accompanying postal stationery, sending them samples of the Mulready stationery and the Penny Black, though, as they were not ready at that time, no Two penny blue stamp samples were sent.

[8] Lees had spent 45 years in the public service when he resigned as the Post Office Secretary in Edinburgh in 1846.