(This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)
This book was originally published prior to 1923, and represents a reproduction of an important historical work, maintaining the same format as the original work. While some publishers have opted to apply OCR (optical character recognition) technology to the process, we believe this leads to sub-optimal results (frequent typographical errors, strange characters and confusing formatting) and does not adequately preserve the historical character of the original artifact. We believe this work is culturally important in its original archival form. While we strive to adequately clean and digitally enhance the original work, there are occasionally instances where imperfections such as blurred or missing pages, poor pictures or errant marks may have been introduced due to either the quality of the original work or the scanning process itself. Despite these occasional imperfections, we have brought it back into print as part of our ongoing global book preservation commitment, providing customers with access to the best possible historical reprints. We appreciate your understanding of these occasional imperfections, and sincerely hope you enjoy seeing the book in a format as close as possible to that intended by the original publisher.
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George Buchanan Armstrong was born on October 27, 1822 in Armagh, Ireland. Of his parents little is recorded except that his mother was a Buchanan, distantly related to President Buchanan, and that they emigrated to the United States in 1830, living for three years in Newark, New Jersey, then moving to Virginia and later to Maryland.
An attraction to the postal service prompted him to apply for a clerkship, and through the influence of his noted kinsman he was appointed to a place in the Post Office Department in Washington, about 1852. Two years later, on the recommendation of his superior, he was transferred to Chicago.
He resigned in 1856, to engage in business, but after two years his firm failed. In 1858 he was appointed assistant postmaster. During the Civil War Gov. Oglesby appointed him a colonel of the Illinois volunteers, but the title was probably honorary, as he seems to have continued with the Post Office. He early became interested in the matter of a more systematic handling of the mails.
In February 1864, he personally laid before the Post Office Department proposals for a thorough-going reform of the service, his main suggestion being the abandonment of the distributing offices then in use and the sorting of the mails on trains. On July 1, after repeating his proposals by letter, he was authorized by Postmaster General Blair to make an experiment on any railroad that would grant him the privilege.
The first trial was made on August 28, on the Chicago & Northwestern, between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa, and was soon followed by trials on other lines. By the end of the year the "traveling post office, " or "post office on wheels, " was regarded as a success, and in December Armstrong was appointed a special agent of the department to organize the system.
By the act of March 3, 1865, Congress formally recognized the innovation and authorized its further development by the Postmaster General, who thereupon divided the service, appointing Armstrong as special agent of the western section and Harrison Park of the east. At the beginning of Grant's administration a Bureau of Railway Mail Service was established, and on April 4, 1869, Armstrong was appointed general superintendent, with headquarters in Washington. His remaining two years were spent in developing the service.
In the spring of 1871 he returned to Chicago. On May 3 he resigned his office, and two days later he died. Through contributions from the railway mail clerks of the country a statue to his memory, naming him as the "founder of the railway mail service in the United States, " was erected on the grounds of the Federal Building in Chicago, and on May 19, 1881, was dedicated with a eulogy by Schuyler Colfax. The event brought on a spirited controversy as to Armstrong's right to the distinction given him. It was shown that the idea of the "traveling post office" had been suggested by H. A. Burr, topographer of the Post Office Department, as early as 1853, and that in the fall of 1862 William A. Davis, superintendent of mails on the Hannibal & St. Joseph railway, had tried the experiment of sorting westbound overland mail on the cars.
The controversy served to confirm the theory that most inventions and innovations are the joint contribution of many minds, but also confirmed the claim made for Armstrong that it was he who elaborated the project of the railway post office, brought it to the attention of the department, obtained its adoption in spite of many formidable obstacles, and spent his last years in making it a practical success.
(This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)
Armstrong was said to be a man of indomitable will, with a mind of great originality and force, remarkable executive ability, and a nobility of character that impressed all who came in contact with him.
About 1846 he married Julia H. W. McKee.
