According to records detailed by the National Postal Museum, this early civil service role shaped his legendary public persona in several key ways:

• The Hat Delivery: Mail only arrived once a week. If residents did not come to collect it, Lincoln routinely walked the neighborhood to deliver letters personally, famously storing the correspondence inside his signature top hat.
• Perks of Literacy: The job paid meagerly—the United States Official Register lists his fiscal compensation at $55.70 in 1835. However, the role allowed Lincoln to read every newspaper delivered to the office for free, significantly accelerating his self-education and political awareness.
• “Honest Abe” Roots: After the station shuttered, a government audit agent arrived months later to collect leftover funds totaling roughly $18. Despite facing intense personal poverty, Lincoln went straight to his trunk and produced the exact, untouched federal coins tied up in an old blue sock.

Harry S. Truman: The Benevolent Official

In 1914, decades before ascending to the presidency, a 30-year-old Harry S. Truman took the civil service examination and was officially appointed postmaster of Grandview, Missouri.

Unlike Lincoln, Truman never actually performed the day-to-day work of a mail handler. Instead, his appointment served as an act of pure community altruism:

• A Hidden Gift: Truman used his official title to assist Ella Hall, a local Civil War veteran’s widow who was struggling financially to raise her younger siblings.
• Waiving the Pay: Truman signed the necessary legal paperwork but immediately turned over the office duties and the entire $530 annual salary to Hall.  
• Historical Rediscovery: This arrangement remained relatively obscure until June 1949, when the Civil Service Commission accidentally discovered the files and shared the story with the public while Truman was serving in the White House.