Charles L. Towle of Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

, was a stamp collector

Philately

Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, which does not necessarily involve the study of stamps. It is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps...

 who studied postal history

Postal history

Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of postage stamps and covers and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems...

 and wrote philatelic literature

Philatelic literature

Philatelic literature is written material relating to philately, primarily information about postage stamps and postal history- Background to philatelic literature :...

 on the subject.

Collecting interests

Towle was a collector of stamps and postal history, especially that of United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 railroad mail and mobile post offices.

Philatelic literature

On the basis of his studies, Towle, co-authored with Henry Albert Meyer

Henry Albert Meyer

Henry Albert Meyer , of Indiana, was a philatelist who created notable stamp and postal history collections, and wrote and co-authored a number of philatelic books.-Collecting interests:...

, and wrote Railroad Postmarks of the U.S., 1861-1886, and, in 1986 Towle wrote his four volume United States Rates and Station Agent Markings. Towle wrote extensively on transit markings and received numerous awards for his effort.

For three years Towle edited The Heliograph, the journal of the Postal History Foundation.

Philatelic activity

Towle was active in philatelic organizations, such as the Mobile Post Office Society, where he was president until he died, and as Chairman of the Board of the Western Postal History Museum, later renamed the Postal History Foundation.