A a post office was first established in Chicago on March 8, 1831, with Johnathan N. Baily, a fur trader, being appointed Chicago's first postmaster.
[1][2] Chicago was long the hub of the Railway Mail Service of the United States.
Chicago saw particularly large volumes of mail in the peak era of mail-order business by Chicago-based retailers Montgomery Ward and Sears.
[1] Until the establishment of the United States Postal Service in 1971, the president of the United States appointed local postmasters.
[1] The following individuals served as "officer in charge of the Chicago Post Office" during periods in which there was a vacancy in the position of postmaster of Chicago: