Bailar, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1934-

Benjamin Franklin Bailar was born on April 21, 1934 in Champaign, Illinois. He received a B.S. in geology from the University of Colorado in 1955, and an M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1959. From 1955 to 1957 he served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He was on the coordinating and planning staff of the Continental Oil Company from 1959 to 1962, and he was a financial analyst and vice-president of the American Can Company from 1962 to 1972. From 1972 to 1974 he served as Senior Assistant Postmaster General for Support and Administration, United States Postal Service, and he served as Deputy Postmaster General from 1974 to 1975. On February 16, 1975, Bailar was named the sixty-first Postmaster General of the United States. Bailar, with his background in finance and management, attempted to place the postal service on a strong economic base. His major responsibility was to administer this semi-independent government corporation so that it could support itself on revenues from mail users. He served as Postmaster General of the United States from 1975 to 1978, and since 1978 he was Executive vice-president and director of the U.S. Gypsum Company.