Patrick R. Donahoe

The eldest of three children of John L. and Joan (Burke) Donahoe, Patrick's parents were workers at the General Motors Fisher Body Plant, a Pittsburgh car factory.^[2] Mr 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.^[3] 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.^[4][5][6][7]

His predecessor, Postmaster General John E. Potter, testified before the Senate^[8] 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,^[9] 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.^[10] 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^[11] and Megan Brennan, the first female Postmaster General, was appointed as his successor the following February.^[12][13][14]

Donahoe is married and has two children and two grandchildren. He is of Irish and Slovak descent.^[15][16][17] He started collecting postage stamps at the age of 12.^[18] After his retirement from the Postal Service, Donahoe now serves on the board of SG360°, a marketing firm.^[19] 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.

• Appearances on C-SPAN