Benjamin Franklin Franklin BAILAR

Background

BAILAR, Benjamin was born on April 21, 1934 in Champaign, 111. Son of Doctor John C. Bailar, Junior. and the late Florence (nee Catherwood) Bailar.

Education

Bachelor, University Colorado, 1955. Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary), University Colorado, 1989. Master of Business Administration, Harvard, 1959.

Doctor of Public Administration (honorary), Monmouth College, 1976.

Career

He took office on February 16, 1975, succeeding Elmer T. Klassen. Previously, he had served as Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Chief Financial Officer, and Deputy Postmaster General. Bailar, a graduate of the Harvard Business School with an extensive background in finance and management, attempted to place the postal service on a strong economic footing.

His major responsibility as United States Postmaster General was to ensure that the semi-independent government corporation could support itself on revenues from mail users.

Bailar was especially concerned with the quality of mail service and postal costs. One significant cost was labor, and Bailar is probably best known for negotiating an eleventh hour contract which avoided a strike by unionized postal employees in 1975.

He was also instrumental in the rate increase of first class stamps to 13 cents, in dealing with Central Intelligence Agency mail tampering, and in addressing possible postal cost-cutting which would have resulted in a decline in mail services to some rural areas. Mr. Bailar was born in Champaign, Illinois on April 21, 1934.

After attending public schools and the University of Illinois Laboratory School in his home town, Bailar attended the University of Colorado.

Following his graduation in 1955, he served in the United States. Navy as a Supply Officer before entering the Harvard Business School. He received his Masters in Business Administration in 1959. Bailar is also the recipient of honorary degrees from Monmouth College and the University of Colorado.

In addition to his term of service as Postmaster General, Bailar has worked for the Continental Oil Company, American Can Company, and United States. Gypsum.

He has served on the boards of a number of corporations, banks, educational institutions, and not-for-profit organizations. In 1987, he accepted appointment as Dean and Professor of the Jesse H. Jones School of Business Administration at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Bailar led the fledgling program through 10 years of steady growth and increasing recognition before retiring in 1997. Bailar was appointed to the United States Postal Service" Citizens" Stamp Advisory Committee in December 2006 by former postmaster general John East. “Jack” Potter.

In July 2014, Bailar resigned from the committee in protest over the increasingly commercial choices for stamp designs.

Achievements

• Benjamin Franklin Bailar has been listed as a noteworthy academic administrator, administration educator by Marquis Who's Who.

Membership

Member Chicago Club, Tau Kappa Epsilon. M C.

Connections

Married Anne Tveit, August 22, 1958. Children: Christina, Benjamin Franklin Junior.

Father:

John C. Bailar

Mother:

Florence (Catherwood) Bailar

Spouse:

Anne Tveit

child:

Christina Bailar

child:

Benjamin Franklin Junior Bailar