| Patrick Donahoe | |
| Office: | 73rd United States Postmaster General |
| President: | Barack Obama |
| Deputy: | Ronald Stroman |
| Term Start: | December 6, 2010 |
| Term End: | February 1, 2015 |
| Predecessor: | Jack Potter |
| Successor: | Megan Brennan |
| Birth Date: | October 27, 1955[1] |
| Birth Place: | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education: | University of Pittsburgh (BA) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MBA) |
Patrick R. Donahoe is an American politician who served as the 73rd United States postmaster general, having been appointed to the post on October 25, 2010. A 35-year veteran of the Postal Service, he reported to the Postal Service Board of Governors.
Donahoe is a 1977 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh where he majored in economics. He also graduated from the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he was a Sloan Fellow.[2] Before being postmaster, Donahoe served as the 19th deputy postmaster general.
He entered the United States Postal Service as a clerk in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the advice of his uncle Bob Burke, a mail carrier, who encouraged young Patrick to take the postal service exam.[3] [4] [5] [6]
His predecessor, Postmaster General John E. Potter, testified before the Senate[7] that if the Postal Service is not able to readjust their payment toward the pre-funding of retiree health benefits, as mandated by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006,[8] the USPS would be forced to consider cutting delivery to five days per week during the summer months of June, July, and August. Donahoe echoed his predecessor's views on five-day delivery when he assumed office in 2011.
On February 6, 2013, Donahoe announced that the Postal Service would implement five-day mail delivery beginning August 5, a move he claimed would save $2 billion annually. Later the same day, the national board of the postal union, the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, voted unanimously to call for his dismissal.[9] July 16, the House passed the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, which included language protecting six‐day mail delivery, thereby blocking Donahoe's plan.
Donahoe retired on February 1, 2015[10] and Megan Brennan, the first female Postmaster General, was appointed as his successor the following February.[11] [12] [13]
Mr Donahoe is married and has two sons.[14] [15] After his retirement from the Postal Service, Donahoe now serves on the board of SG360°, a marketing firm.[16] Donahoe also serves as board chairman for Postal Realty Trust, a NYSE listed company which is the largest owner of properties leased to the US Postal Service.