Heinrich von Stephan
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225711343
2008-07-15T01:00:01Z
Olessi
220894
Removed category "Prussian politicians"; Quick-adding category "Members of the Prussian House of Lords" (using [[WP:HOTCAT|HotCat]])
[[Image:Georg Barlösius Heinrich von Stephan.jpg|thumb|Portrait of Heinrich von Stephan]]
'''Heinrich von Stephan''' ([[January 7]], [[1831]] - [[April 8]], [[1897]]) was a general post [[director-general|director]] for the [[German Empire]] who reorganized the German [[postal service]]. He was integral in the founding of the [[Universal Postal Union]] in 1874, and in 1877 introduced the [[telephone]] to Germany.
Stephan was born in [[Słupsk|Stolp (Słupsk)]], [[Province of Pomerania|Pomerania]], in the [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. He began his career as a local postal in the service of the Prussian post in 1849. In 1866 he was put in charge by the Prussian government of federalizing the postal service that had long been privately run by the noble [[Thurn and Taxis]] family. In 1870 he was named director of postal services for the [[North German Confederation]]. Stephan's career then moved quickly up the ranks, as he was named [[Postmaster General]] of the German Empire in 1876, the [[Undersecretary of State]] in charge of the post office in 1880, and the [[Minister (government)|Minister of Postal Services]] for Germany in 1895.
When Stephan began his work as a postal worker, Germany was divided into [[German Confederation|17 independent states]], each with its own separate policies and fees. He worked early on to establish a uniform postage rate throughout Germany, to facilitate easier mailing. His general goal of standardization and internationalization is evident in his work to combine the postal service with the [[telegraph]] service in Germany, and in his efforts to organize the International Postal Conference in [[Bern]] in 1874, in which the [[Universal Postal Union]] was established. He introduced the [[postcard]] (which he had initially suggested in 1865) to Germany after Chancellor [[Otto von Bismarck]] promoted him in 1870: the postcard came into widespread use in the subsequent [[Franco-Prussian War]] of 1870-71 as a method of communication between units in the field. He is also credited with having introduced the telephone to Germany.
Stephan died in 1897 in [[Berlin]], having made a profound impact on the standardization of mail service worldwide.
==Works==
*''Geschichte der Preussischen Post von ihrem Ursprunge bis auf die Gegenwart: nach amtl. Quellen''. Berlin 1859. Reprint 1987, ISBN 3-7685-3686-6.
==References==
{{Unreferenced|date=February 2008}}
{{Cabinet Caprivi}}
{{BD|1831|1897|Stephan, Heinrich von}}
[[Category:German Empire]]
[[Category:People from Słupsk]]
[[Category:People from the Province of Pomerania]]
[[Category:Postal history]]
[[Category:Postmasters]]
[[Category:Universal Postal Union]]
[[Category:Members of the Prussian House of Lords]]
[[de:Heinrich von Stephan]]
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[[he:היינריך פון שטפן]]
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[[ro:Heinrich von Stephan]]
[[ru:Стефан, Генрих фон]]