Postal Service Blues:
A Uniform History
Question: Which American government agency is the oldest? Answer: the post office - its origins are older than America itself! It kept growing as the new country did, so in 1865, a mail delivery service was set up for large cities. Thanks to letter carriers, people who lived far away from each other suddenly had a reliable, fast way to communicate. These letter carriers were a part of the new Post Office Department (POD), and it wasn't long before they got their first official uniforms.
A HOT MESS
The word “uniform” means “remaining the same at all times,” so it’s not
surprising that when people wear uniforms to work or school, their clothes all look alike. It was the same back then; all letter carriers wore grey coats, vests, caps, long pants, and capes with fancy brass buttons and black trim around the edges or down the sides. They could take off their capes during the summersummer, but other than that, they had to keep all the rest of it on, no matter the temperature!
A few years later, though, the POD realized that their workers became overheated in all that, so they changed the uniform fabric to lighter material. With the two kinds of uniforms, it was up to the postmasters in each city to make sure all of their letter carriers dressed the same.
The responsibility grew more complicated when the 20th century rolled around because although every letter carrier’s shirt was supposed to be light grey, postal committees started considering other choices. A newspaper in Baltimore reported that “wordy battles have raged over the issue of blue chambray or gray poplin shirts.” Plus, with the introduction of sweater coats as an option instead of the normal cloth ones, it was up to the postmasters to tell all of their letter carriers which of the two coats they could wear!
POSTAL BLUES
After World War II, the metamorphosis of the letter carrier uniform began. Short-sleeved shirts were finally approved, and the look of the uniform changed away from grayscale. Shirts were supposed to be blue, and the once-black trim switched to maroon. The POD also established different uniforms for women. They wore skirts and tailored jackets instead of long pants and coats. One other substantial change occurred: in the summers, letter carriers were allowed to pick their own hats - they didn't all have to wear the same one!
Another sizable shift came in 1970. President Richard Nixon signed a law that changed the POD into the USPS (United States Postal Service) - the same name in use today. The maroon trim on letter carrier uniforms became dark blue, shorts were allowed, and nobody was required to wear a hat if they didn't want to. All those modifications created a workforce similar in look to the men and women you see delivering your mail every day.
The finishing touches happened just before the turn of the century when the official color for USPS shirts became the familiar light blue. Simultaneously, most other parts of the uniform were redesigned, adopting a special shade of navy blue that is now called "postal blue." Last but certainly not least, the USPS began adding reflective strips to the coats and hats because of how close letter carriers work to roads and cars. They needed to keep their workers safe!
THE EAGLE HAS LANDED
But it’s not just the colors and coats that have changed. For the past 28 years, the “sonic” eagle has been the official seal of the USPS - even their mail trucks have this logo painted on the sides! However, while the postal service was still called the POD, the emblem reflected how the mail used to be delivered: a rider on horseback! In the 1920s, the eagle idea first popped up for a few years (before going back to the post rider), but it didn’t stay away for long. A traditionally American bird (that also happens to be speedy and majestic), the eagle was adopted for good when President Nixon renamed the whole department.
Thanks to their uniforms and their famous logo, today’s letter carriers are easily recognizable members of neighborhoods across America. Wherever they go - whether they're delivering Christmas cards, this magazine, or anything else - everyone knows that they are a part of the USPS, one of the most historic parts of the American government.