Osgood, Samuel, 1747-1813

Samuel Osgood (February 3, 1747 – August 12, 1813) was an American merchant and statesman. He served in the Massachusetts and New York State legislatures, represented Massachusetts in the Continental Congress and was the fourth Postmaster General of the United States (the first under the current Constitution), serving from 1789 to 1791.

Born in Andover in the Colony of Massachusetts Bay (now North Andover, Massachusetts), Osgood attended Dummer Academy (now The Governor's Academy) and Harvard College. Later, he returned to Andover to follow a mercantile career. He joined the local militia, was elected to represent the town in the colonial assembly, and in 1775 to the provincial congress that functioned as a revolutionary government. Osgood led a local company of minutemen into the Battle of Lexington and Concord in the spring of 1775, later being named Major of a brigade, serving as an aide to General Artemas Ward, and being promoted to Colonel before leaving the Continental Army in 1776.

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