Winton M. Blount | |
---|---|
59th United States Postmaster General | |
In office January 22, 1969 – January 1, 1972 |
|
President | Richard Nixon |
Preceded by | W. Marvin Watson |
Succeeded by | E. T. Klassen |
Personal details | |
Born |
Winton Malcolm Blount February 1, 1921 Union Springs, Alabama |
Died | October 24, 2002 Highlands, North Carolina |
(aged 81)
Political party | Republican |
Military service | |
Service/branch | United States Army Air Forces |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Winton Malcolm Blount, Jr., known as Red Blount (February 1, 1921 – October 24, 2002), was the United States Postmaster General from January 22, 1969 to January 1, 1972. He founded and served as the Chief Executive Officer of the large construction company, Blount International, based in Montgomery, Alabama.
Blount was the last Postmaster General when the position was within the presidential Cabinet.
Born in Union Springs, Alabama, Blount served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, having trained as a B-29 pilot. However, the war ended before his training was completed.
In 1946, Blount and his brother William Houston Blount started a building contractor company, Blount Brothers. The company worked on such construction projects as the First Avenue Viaduct in Birmingham, the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, and Cape Canaveral's Complex 39A which launched Apollo 11 in Florida.
In 1952, Blount was appointed the Alabama Chairman of Citizens for Eisenhower, then in 1960 Southeastern Campaign Chairman for Richard M. Nixon's unsuccessful presidential campaign against John F. Kennedy. In 1961, Blount was elected President of the Alabama Chamber of Commerce; in 1968, President of the United States Chamber of Commerce.