William F. Bolger

William F. Bolger (-August 21, 1989) was the 65th Postmaster General of the United States from 1978-1985. He was the first career postal employee to attain the rank of Postmaster General.

Bolger began his career with the old Post Office Department as a finance clerk in 1941. After serving as an Air Force bombardier during World War II, he resumed his career with the Post Office Department. During the 1950s he held a number of positions in the New England Region, where he became Regional Director for Boston. From 1972 to 1975 he served in New York as Regional Postmaster General for the Eastern Region. In 1975 he returned to Washington to serve as Deputy Postmaster General.

During Bolger's tenure as Postmaster General, the United States Postal Service ran its first fiscal surplus in more than 30 years (and its first since the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970) in 1983. The USPS also maintained a surplus the next year, Bolger's last at the USPS. He witnessed the advent of electronic mail, handled several labor disputes and promoted the nine-digit ZIP code to handle the steadily rising mail load, particularly direct-mail advertising.

He received the J. Edward Day Award from the Association for Postal Commerce. In 1979 he was awarded the Miles Kimball Medallion from the Mailing and Fulfillment Service Association.