U.S. Postal Service Chief Operating Officer William J. Henderson, a career postal employee, will become the new postmaster general, the Postal Service Board of Governors announced Tuesday.
Henderson, 50, replaces outgoing Postmaster General Marvin Runyon, 73. Henderson served as Runyon's operations chief since 1994. As COO, Henderson is credited with encouraging Runyon to hire more postal workers to improve delivery times. Prior to becoming COO, Henderson headed up a Greensboro, N.C. mail processing plant. He has been with the Postal Service since 1972, when he got a job as a labor relations trainee.
In January, Runyon announced his return to the private sector after ten years of federal service. Runyon headed the Tennessee Valley Authority before going to the Postal Service in 1992. Runyon is credited with improving customer service at the 800,000-employee Postal Service, which began delivering more than 90 percent of local first class mail overnight during Runyon's tenure. The Postal Service also turned $1 billion profits three years in a row under Runyon.
The board of governors announcement comes a day after the independent Postal Rate Commission approved a one cent increase in the cost of a stamp for a first-class letter.
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