J. Edward Day
Encyclopedia
James Edward Day was an American
businessman and political office-holder.
Day was born in Jacksonville
, Illinois
, he studied at University of Chicago
, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi
Fraternity, and Harvard Law School
, receiving high grades. Following law school, Day joined Sidley & Austin
in 1938.
In 1942 to 1945 he went in to military service, after the war he became a businessman also serving as a political office-holder under Illinois
Governor
Adlai Stevenson as State Insurance
Commissioner. In 1961 he became U.S. Postmaster General
in the administration of John F. Kennedy
. There, he was responsible for reducing the postal deficit through rate increases and for introducing zip codes. In August 1963, he resigned as Postmaster General due to financial difficulties. In 1965 he published a humorous memoir about his Postmaster General service, My Appointed Round.
After leaving government service he was a moving force in establishing the Washington, D.C.
office of Sidley & Austin. Day remained an underwriting partner with Sidley & Austin from 1963 until his resignation in December 1972. Day's departure resulted from a perceived slight by his partners following the merger of Sidley with the Chicago law firm Liebman, Williams, Bennett, Baird and Minow. Day sued his former partners in a case that went to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
. Day v. Sidley & Austin, 548 F.2d 1018 (D.C.Cir. 1976). The court found that Day suffered from a bruised ego but that the facts failed to establish a legal cause of action
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman and political office-holder.
Day was born in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,940 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, he studied at University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania on February 19, 1852. There are over a hundred chapters and colonies at accredited four year colleges and universities throughout the United States. More than 112,000 men have been...
Fraternity, and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, receiving high grades. Following law school, Day joined Sidley & Austin
Sidley Austin
Sidley Austin LLP, formerly known as Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, is one of the oldest law firms in the world. It is the sixth-largest U.S.-based corporate law firm with more than 1,650 lawyers, annual revenues of more than one billion dollars, and offices in 17 cities worldwide, with the most...
in 1938.
In 1942 to 1945 he went in to military service, after the war he became a businessman also serving as a political office-holder under Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Adlai Stevenson as State Insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
Commissioner. In 1961 he became U.S. Postmaster General
United States Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
in the administration of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. There, he was responsible for reducing the postal deficit through rate increases and for introducing zip codes. In August 1963, he resigned as Postmaster General due to financial difficulties. In 1965 he published a humorous memoir about his Postmaster General service, My Appointed Round.
After leaving government service he was a moving force in establishing the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
office of Sidley & Austin. Day remained an underwriting partner with Sidley & Austin from 1963 until his resignation in December 1972. Day's departure resulted from a perceived slight by his partners following the merger of Sidley with the Chicago law firm Liebman, Williams, Bennett, Baird and Minow. Day sued his former partners in a case that went to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit known informally as the D.C. Circuit, is the federal appellate court for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Appeals from the D.C. Circuit, as with all the U.S. Courts of Appeals, are heard on a...
. Day v. Sidley & Austin, 548 F.2d 1018 (D.C.Cir. 1976). The court found that Day suffered from a bruised ego but that the facts failed to establish a legal cause of action
Cause of action
In the law, a cause of action is a set of facts sufficient to justify a right to sue to obtain money, property, or the enforcement of a right against another party. The term also refers to the legal theory upon which a plaintiff brings suit...
.
Quote
- We cannot put the face of a person on a stamp unless said person is deceased. My suggestion, therefore, is that you drop dead. – Day, during his tenure as Postmaster General, replying to a request from an individual to be honored with a stamp. The letter was never mailed.
External links
- Index of Day's personal papers from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
- Day's obituary from the New York Times