Postmaster General of Canada

Postmasters General of Canada, 1851-1929
Credit: Agnes Macdonald, Baroness Macdonald of Earnscliffe Collection. / Library and Archives Canada / PA-066694

The Postmaster General of Canada was the Canadian cabinet minister responsible for the Post Office Department (Canada Post). In 1851, management of the post office was transferred from Britain (Royal Mail) to the provincial governments of the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The position of Postmaster General was established in each province. With Canadian Confederation in 1867, a single position was created replacing this post in all of the above provinces except Newfoundland; this position was abolished in 1981 when the post office was transformed from a government department into a crown corporation. From 1900 until 1909 the Postmaster General was also responsible for the Department of Labour.

Postmasters General

Alexander Campbell: under MacDonald (July 1 1867 – June 30 1873)
John O'Connor: under Macdonald (July 1 1873 – November 5 1873)
Donald Alexander Macdonald: under MacKenzie (November 7 1873 – May 17 1875)
Télesphore Fournier: under Mackenzie (May 19 1875 – October 7 1875)
Lucius Seth Huntington: under Mackenzie (October 9 1875 – October 8 1878)
Hector Louis Langevin: under Macdonald (October 19 1878 – May 19 1879)
Sir Alexander Campbell: under Macdonald (May 20 1879 – January 15 1880) (second time)
John O'Connor: under Macdonald (January 16 1880 – November 7 1880) (second time)
Sir Alexander Campbell: under Macdonald (November 8 1880 – May 18 1881) (third time)
John O'Connor: under Macdonald (May 20 1881 – May 22 1882) (third time)
John Carling: under Macdonald (May 23 1882 – September 24 1885)
Sir Alexander Campbell: under Macdonald (September 25 1885 – January 26 1887) (fourth time)
Archibald McLelan: under Macdonald (January 27 1887 – July 9 1888)
John Carling: under Macdonald (July 11 1888 – August 5 1888) (second time)
John Graham Haggart: under Macdonald (August 6 1888 – June 6 1891); under Abbott (June 16 1891 – January 24 1892)
Sir Joseph Philippe René Adolphe Caron: under Abbott (January 25 1892 – November 24 1892); under Thompson (December 5 1892 – December 12 1894)
Louis-Olivier Taillon: under Mackenzie Bowell (December 21 1894 – July 8 1896)
Sir William Mulock: under Laurier (July 13 1896 – October 15 1905)
Allen Bristol Aylesworth: under Laurier (October 16 1905 – June 3 1906)
Rodolphe Lemieux: under Laurier (June 4 1906 – August 10 1911)
Henri Sévérin Béland: under Laurier (August 19 1911 – October 6 1911)
Louis-Philippe Pelletier: under Borden (October 10 1911 – October 19 1914)
Thomas Chase-Casgrain: under Borden (October 20 1914 – December 29 1916)
Pierre Édouard Blondin: under Borden (January 8 1917 – July 10 1920); under Meighen (July 10 1920 – September 20 1921)
Louis-de-Gonzague Belley: under Meighen (September 21 1921 – December 29 1921)
Charles Murphy: under King (December 29 1921 – June 28 1926)
Robert James Manion: under Meighen (August 23 1926 – September 25 1926)
Peter John Veniot: under King (September 25 1926 – August 7 1930)
Arthur Sauvé: under Bennett (August 7 1930 – August 13 1935)
Samuel Gobeil: under Bennett (August 16 1935 – October 23 1935)
John Campbell Elliott: under King (October 23 1935 – January 22 1939)
Norman Alexander McLarty: under King (January 23 1939 – September 18 1939)
Charles Gavan Power: under King (September 19 1939 – May 22 1940)
James Lorimer Ilsley: (acting); under King (May 23 1940 – July 7 1940)
William Pate Mulock: under King (July 8 1940 – June 8 1945)
Ernest Bertrand: under King (August 29 1945 – November 15 1948); under St. Laurent (November 15 1948 – August 23 1949)
Gabriel Édouard Rinfret: under St. Laurent (August 25 1949 – February 12 1952)
Alcide Côté: under St. Laurent (February 13 1952 – August 7 1955)
Roch Pinard: (acting); under St. Laurent (August 16 1955 – November 2 1955)
Hugues Lapointe: under St. Laurent (November 3 1955 – June 21 1957)
William McLean Hamilton: under Diefenbaker (June 21 1957 – July 12 1962)
John Angus MacLean: (acting); under Diefenbaker (July 18 1962 – August 8 1962)
Ellen Louks Fairclough: under Diefenbaker (August 9 1962 – April 22 1963)
Azellus Denis: under Pearson (April 22 1963 – February 2 1964)
John Robert Nicholson: under Pearson (February 2 1964 – February 14 1965)
René Tremblay: under Pearson (February 15 1965 – December 17 1965)
Joseph Julien Jean-Pierre Côté: under Pearson (December 18 1965 – April 20 1968); under Trudeau (April 20 1968 – July 5 1968)
Eric William Kierans: under Trudeau (July 5 1968 – April 28 1971)
Joseph Julien Jean-Pierre Côté: under Trudeau (April 29 1971 – November 26 1972) (second time)
André Ouellet: under Trudeau (November 27 1972 – August 7 1974)
Bryce Stuart Mackasey: under Trudeau (August 8 1974 – September 13 1976)
Jean-Jacques Blais: under Trudeau (September 14 1976 – February 1 1978)
Gilles Lamontagne: under Trudeau (February 2 1978 – June 3 1979)
John Allen Fraser: under Clark (June 4 1979 – March 2 1980)
André Ouellet: under Trudeau (March 3 1980 – October 15 1981) (second time)