A post office may have operated in New York City as early as 1687. The United States Postal Service has no information on New York's postmasters prior to the year 1775. The New York City Post Office is first mentioned in Hugh Finlay's journal dated 1773 which lists Alexander Colden as the postmaster of New York City. Other sources indicate that Colden may have served as postmaster as early as 1753. Postmasters are appointed by the President of the United States.

NameTitleDate appointedNotes and referencesAlexander Colden Postmaster The date of appointment is not known.John Holt Postmaster The date of appointment is not known. He is listed as postmaster in a document written by Mary Katherine Goddard.Ebenezer Hazard Postmaster October 5, 1775 He was appointed on October 5, 1775 according to his letter to Congress on November 14, 1776. He was later appointed as the United States Postmaster General.William Bedlow Postmaster April 5, 1784 The date of appointment is not known. He submitted financial accounts for the post office from April 5, 1784 through October 1789.Sebastian Bauman Postmaster February 16, 1790The date is for his first financial accounts to Congress. His appointment date is not known.Josias Ten Eyck Postmaster January 1, 1804The date is for his first financial accounts to Congress. His appointment date is not known.Theodorus Bailey Postmaster January 2, 1804He died in office.Samuel Laurence Gouverneur Postmaster 11/19/1828Jonathan I. Coddington Postmaster 07/05/1836Col. James Lorimer GrahamPostmaster 03/14/1842Robert Hunter Morris Postmaster 05/03/1845He was later the Mayor of New York CityWilliam Vermilye Brady Postmaster 05/14/1849He was later the Mayor of New York CityIsaac Vanderbeck Fowler Postmaster 04/01/1853John Adams Dix Postmaster 05/17/1860William B. Taylor Postmaster 01/16/1861Abram Wakeman Postmaster 03/21/1862James Kelly Postmaster 09/19/1864Patrick Henry Jones Postmaster 04/27/1869Thomas Lemuel James Postmaster 03/17/1873He was later appointed as the United States Postmaster General.Henry G. Pearson Postmaster 03/22/1881Cornelius Van Cott Postmaster 04/05/1889Charles W. Dayton Postmaster 06/05/1893Cornelius Van Cott Postmaster 05/12/1897This was his second non-consecutive term. He died in office.William Russell Willcox Postmaster 12/07/1904He resigned office to become the head of the Public Service Board.Edward M. Morgan Postmaster August 14, 1907 He was postmaster for the first airmail delivery.Thomas Gedney Patten Postmaster 03/16/1917Edward M. Morgan Postmaster 06/23/1921John J. Kiely Acting Postmaster 01/10/1925John J. Kiely Postmaster 01/22/1925He was promoted from Acting Postmaster to Postmaster.Albert Goldman Acting Postmaster 08/31/1934Albert Goldman Postmaster 01/16/1935He was promoted from Acting Postmaster to Postmaster. Albert Goldman was the first Jewish postmaster of New York City.George M. Bragalini Acting Postmaster 04/30/1952James B. Tunny Acting Postmaster 03/31/1953Colonel Harold Riegelman Acting Postmaster 05/04/1953John H. Sheehan Acting Postmaster 08/04/1953Robert H. Schaffer Acting Postmaster 08/16/1954Robert H. Schaffer Postmaster 08/02/1955He was promoted from Acting Postmaster to Postmaster.Howard Coonen Acting Postmaster 05/31/1957Robert K. Christenberry Acting Postmaster 06/03/1958Robert K. Christenberry Postmaster 09/21/1959He was promoted from Acting Postmaster to Postmaster.Eugene Pinson Acting Postmaster 07/01/1966John R. Strachan Acting Postmaster 11/04/1966John R. Strachan Postmaster 06/26/1967He was promoted from Acting Postmaster to Postmaster.George J. Hass Officer-In-Charge 07/16/1971Thomas V. Flanagan Officer-In-Charge 07/01/1972John R. Strachan Postmaster 12/09/1972This was his second non-consecutive term.George F. Shuman Officer-In-Charge 01/13/1979Paul E. Donovan Officer-In-Charge 02/16/1979George F. Shuman Postmaster 05/19/1979He was promoted from Officer-In-Charge to Postmaster following the intervening appointment of Paul E. Donovan.John M. Nolan Postmaster 01/05/1985William J. Dowling Officer-In-Charge 03/03/1989John F. Kelly Postmaster 11/04/1989Sylvester Black Postmaster 01/09/1993Vinnie MalloyPostmaster 12/19/1998Robert A. Daruk, Sr. Officer-In-Charge 02/28/2007Robert A. Daruk, Sr.Postmaster 03/17/2007He was promoted from Officer-In-Charge to Postmaster.William J. Schnaars Postmaster January 31, 2009Lorraine G. Castellano Postmaster October 24, 2009Aracelis M. Osorio Officer-In-Charge July 3, 2010Robert J. Brown Postmaster October 23, 2010Elvin Mercado Officer-In-Charge December 13, 2013Elvin Mercado PostmasterMarch 8, 2014He was promoted from Officer-In-Charge to Postmaster.Kevin J. Crocilla PostmasterFebruary 20, 2016

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