Q: Who was the first American postmistress? Hint: she was also the first person to print the Declaration of Independence with the names of the signatories.
A: Mary Katherine Goddard became postmaster of the Baltimore post office in 1775. The daughter of a postmaster, Goddard and her brother were both involved in the postal and printing businesses. When the Continental Congress moved that the Declaration of Independence be widely distributed, Goddard was one of the first to offer up her printing press, even though the Declaration was considered a treasonous document by the British.
In 1789, Goddard was removed from the postmaster position by Postmaster General Samuel Osgood who said the position required more traveling than a woman could undertake. Baltimore residents rallied behind Goddard, but their efforts to get her reinstated were unsuccessful and Osgood appointed one of his political allies to replace her.
