Miss Jessie McCaa of Franklinville became the only lady mail carrier in the United States as a result of a recent ruling of the Post Office Department. She was demoted on account of her sex when the local post office went under a city carrier system. Her many friends and patrons protested so vehemently that the Washington authorities reconsidered their ruling and allowed her to contrinue work. This appeared under her picture in THE CHRONICLE in February 1927.
Postmaster Fred H. Bacon on Monday received word from the Post Office Department at Washington advising him to ignore that portion of the instructions concerning the change of the Franklinville Post Office from village to city delivery service where it referred to the demotion of Miss Jessie McCaa from regular carrier to an office assistant clerk on account of her sex and instructed him that she had been reinstated to service as of February 7th. She assumed her regular duties Tuesday morning.
She was appointed to the position in 1920 in a war-time measure. While the department has since ruled that no woman is eligible to such a position, no effort was made to remove her until the recent change from village to city carrier services here in December. At that time the department approved a regulation cloth dress which she purchased at her own expense, and the order of demotion came as a complete surprise to her many friends and patrons.
As soon as the announcement of the order was made known, petitions were immediately circulated and forwarded to the department. A number of influential citizens also took up the matter in Washington and it is now believed that it was through our congressional representative, Daniel A. Reed, of Dunkirk, that Monday's order was issued reinstating her into service.
The position now pays $1700 but will increase to a maximum of $2100. It is believed that she is the only woman in the city delivery mail service in the Country.
Submitted by Maggie Frederickson, Franklinville Historian