At 2 p.m., Jan. 13, longtime Augusta Chronicle columnist and collector Mr. Bill Baab will give a brief talk about James A. Farley, postmaster general during Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s term as president. Farley was the consummate politician, helping FDR win the N.Y governorship (twice) and also helped elect Roosevelt to the presidency. As a reward, FDR named Farley the 53rd postmaster general.
Surprisingly, Farley made the U.S. Post Ofice Dept., profitable and reorganized the agency’s air mail service. Then, in 1935, he messed up. Mr Baab will document all of that and more during his 30-minute talk.
The exhibit will display an envelope signed by Farley, a photo of him examining many bags of air mail letters, examples of stamps for which he was responsible, including a full sheet of the 2-cent National Parks issue and a partial sheet of the 1-cent Parks issue, individual stamps of the 12 that became known as “Farley’s Follies,” including souvenir sheets. All of the above are from the Bill & Bea Baab Collection.