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Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
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  • Ledger page from Franklin's GPO account book
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Ledger page from Franklin's GPO account book

Object Details

Description
The folio shown here is from Benjamin Franklin's General Post Office account book. It is written entirely by his hand, including eight signatures of his name, and it spanned 1770-1772. The ledger records, among other things, the annual salaries of three hundred pounds to Benjamin Franklin (residing in London during this time) and John Foxcroft, joint postmasters general of the colonies. The ledger also documents the successful lobbying of Secretary of Comptroller John Parker for an increase in his annual allowance.
When the methodically-minded Benjamin Franklin became joint deputy postmaster general in North America, he promptly instituted a new system of accounts, including one that enabled the General Post Office to standardize local postmasters' accounting methods. The new manner of bookkeeping did not abolish the opportunity for the dishonest to profit but it did prove beneficial since the comptroller could now check a new postmaster's accounts against the old for losses.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
April 5, 1770-April 5, 1772
Object number
1982.0786.1
Writer
Benjamin Franklin, American, 1706 - 1790
Associated Person
John Foxcroft
John Parker
Type
Archival Material
Medium
paper; ink / handwritten
Dimensions
Height x Width: 8 x 13 in. (20.32 x 33.02 cm)
Place
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Topic
Colonial Era (1607-1776)
Postal Administration
Record ID
npm_1982.0786.1
Usage
CC0
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8f9810d08-70ca-4e80-b42b-0093c154d067
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
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HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Visit »

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

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