Post Offices Named After Two Prominent St. Louis African Americans on Closure List
Financial trouble at the Postal Service will soon hit the St. Louis area:
A number of St. Louis-area post offices have landed on a list of 3,700 retail offices the U.S. Postal Service is studying for possible closure to help cut its budget deficit.
The Postal Service, which has 32,000 retail offices nationwide, lost $8.5 billion last year and has already cut its payroll and closed retail locations. (Source)
Two of the St. Louis area post offices are located in depressed neighborhoods in north St. Louis. I had seen one before, but not the other. Â I decided to see both up close.
My first question was, who are the people these locations are named after? I had seen the Jordan W. Chambers Post Office (above) in the last few years, although I didn’t know the name at the time. Â Here is the answer for this one:
Chambers, Jordan W. — of St. Louis, Mo. Democrat. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1944, 1952 (alternate), 1956, 1960. Presumed deceased. Burial location unknown. (Political Graveyard)
I checked Find-A-Grave and found more information, Jordan W. Chambers (1896-1962) is buried at Saint Peters Cemetary in Normandy:
Chambers was active in politics for many years. He worked in Ward 19 to organize precinct captains to ensure that all in his ward got out to vote. He organized the Young Democratic Club. Chambers owned the Peoples Undertaking Company in St. Louis–his political headquarters were next door. He was elected Constable and Democratic Committeeman of the 19th Ward in 1963, making the first Black Committeeman in St. Louis. He worked to get the Black vote for Harry S. Truman. Chambers worked tirelessly for better jobs for Blacks & was instrumental in the integration of the Circuit Court & the St. Louis Housing Authority. He owned Club Riviera–a meeting place for many big name stars and prominent politicians. He never retired from politics or civil rights work and when he died, Governor John Dalton gave the eulogy. President Kennedy and Vice-President Johnson sent telegrams of condolence.
Impressive! The 4,000sf post office bearing his name, at 901 N. Garrison Ave, was built in 1959, three years before his death. Was it named for him while still living? Â This post office is located in the 19th ward where he was politically active. Chambers Park is located to the west.
One of the first things I noticed when I visited the Gwen B. Giles post office located at 1409 Hamilton Ave was the nameplate attached to the building, likely covering the original name. City records online do not indicate the year the building was built, I’d guess sometime in the late 1930s based upon the detailing.
Gwen B. Giles was born in Georgia in 1932, so the post office was named for at least one person before her:
Gwen B. Giles was the first African American woman to serve in the Missouri Senate. She lived in St. Louis, Missouri, and was elected senator in 1977. Giles was also the first woman and the first African American to be appointed St. Louis city assessor, a position she held from 1981 until her death. Gwen Giles devoted her life to public service. She worked steadfastly to secure civil rights and improve living conditions for the citizens of St. Louis. (Source)
Giles died in 1986:
During her distinguished career in politics served as Missouri’s first African American female senator, representing the Fourth District, where she chaired the Interstate Cooperation Committee and was a member of several other legislative committees. She was also the first woman and the first African American to be appointed St. Louis city assessor, a position she held from 1981 until her death. She devoted her life to public service working steadfastly to secure civil rights and improve living conditions for the citizens of St. Louis. She came to St. Louis in 1935, later graduated from Saint Louis University. Beginning in the 1960s, she promoted involvement of St. Louis religious leaders in the civil rights movement. She was a member of the Archdiocesan Commission on Human Rights. In 1973, St. Louis Mayor John Poelker appointed her commissioner of human relations. In this position, she updated a city ordinance to protect women, the elderly and people with disabilities, and promoted passage of the 1976 Comprehensive Civil Rights Ordinance. Among her accomplishments was the appointment by President Jimmy Carter to a task force to assist in selecting talented women for positions in the federal government. She died in her St. Louis home in 1986 from lung cancer. A park and a U.S. Post office have been named after her to honor her achievements and involvement in the community. She will continue to be a pioneer as well as a role model for women in generations to come. (Find-A-Grave)
Also very impressive! Senator Giles was part of the fight to keep the Homer G. Phillips Hospital open:
On August 17, in a massive display of force, city officials sent 120 policemen in riot gear to Phillips Hospital to deal with approximately one hundred protesters during the final transfer of the remaining forty-seven Phillips acute-care patients to City Hospital. Police arrested seventeen pro- testers under charges of failure to obey a police officer when at least fifty people sat down in the main hospital driveway to prevent transfer vans from leaving. Pearlie Evans, aide to U.S. Repre- sentative William Clay, was present at the protest; her sentiments, quoted in the Post-Dispatch, captured the feeling of that day: “the squad was brought in to overpower poor, helpless people whose only concern was that they have some place to go near their homes when they get sick.†Missouri State Senator Gwen B. Giles, also quoted in the Post-Dispatch, took note: “Conway declared war on black St. Louis today.†(Source: ‘‘To Serve the Community Best”: Reconsidering Black Politics in the Struggle to Save Homer G. Phillips Hospital in St. Louis, 1976-1984)
“[Virvus] Jones was appointed assessor in April 1986, after the death of Gwen B. Giles” per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch November 23, 1988.
– Steve Patterson
While the history is interesting, it has very little to do with whether or not a branch should be closed. If they’re underused, they need to be closed. The Post Office is a business and should be run like one. And while they’re at it, they probably should cut back home delivery to three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Bigger picture, I have a problem with naming government facilities (post offices, schools, parks, highways, bridges, streets, etc.) for individuals, especially for minor local politicians. These are paid for by everyone’s taxes, not just those, in these examples, of Democrats or African-Americans. (And I feel the same way about Ronald Reagan and John Denver – there’s a group that wants to rename a mountain peak for him in Colorado.) Government service should be just that, service, not a way to receive perpetual glory. Your legacy is what you accomplish over a lifetime, not some physical structure. There’s no expectation when you retire from Monsanto or Chrysler that you’ll have some facility named for you; why should that be the case in the public sector?!
While the history is interesting, it has very little to do with whether or not a branch should be closed. If they’re underused, they need to be closed. The Post Office is a business and should be run like one. And while they’re at it, they probably should cut back home delivery to three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Bigger picture, I have a problem with naming government facilities (post offices, schools, parks, highways, bridges, streets, etc.) for individuals, especially for minor local politicians. These are paid for by everyone’s taxes, not just those, in these examples, of Democrats or African-Americans. (And I feel the same way about Ronald Reagan and John Denver – there’s a group that wants to rename a mountain peak for him in Colorado.) Government service should be just that, service, not a way to receive perpetual glory. Your legacy is what you accomplish over a lifetime, not some physical structure. There’s no expectation when you retire from Monsanto or Chrysler that you’ll have some facility named for you; why should that be the case in the public sector?!
The assertion that the USPS is a business and should be run like one is only true to a point.
The postal service is constitutionally mandated. It is implied that they are to provide service to all citizens, whether or not they live in an urban area or in a remote area. The true cost of providing those services are well above what we pay for postage. Furthermore, they may be semi-independent, but the majority of their board is still appointed by the president and confirmed by the senate, which also makes decisions somewhat political. They need to operate like a business, in the sense that they cannot continue to lose money every year. They should trim services and become more streamlined, but they are not a normal business that can completely cut operations in unprofitable regions.
No, they can’t “completely cut operations in unprofitable regions” since that would mean ending services nationwide. It means closing branches where revenues come nowhere near covering the salaries and benefits of the few counter clerks still working there. In broad terms, the PO has two public faces, home delivery and their various retail locations, including these two branches. When it comes to actually going into a post office (as opposed to driving by to mail a letter outside), I’m like most other people, I go maybe every two or three months (and dread the slow service). Putting contract post offices inside existing businesses (drug and grocery stores) is a proven, cost-effective answer, and will likely fill any voids left by these kinds of closures. In urban areas like St. Louis, there will continue to be multiple, convenient locations, just not nearly quite as many – kind of like how we could survive and function with half as many Aldermen. And if you just need stamps, you can always buy them froom the customer service counter in most supermarkets.
I agree about the renaming business; I think it is wrong that one minor politician can get a post office or other government named after them for “feel good” reasons. I think these buildings should be named after streets, neighborhoods, truly historic figures like Dred Scott or Mark Twain, and very important politicians, such as mayors who served with distinction. Parkway names its schools in such a way.
That certainly happened with Henry Kiel (the Kiel Center) and A.J. Cervantes (Cervantes Plaza).
That certainly happened with Henry Kiel (the Kiel Center) and A.J. Cervantes (Cervantes Plaza).
Nice piece, Steve.
Nice piece, Steve.
The assertion that the USPS is a business and should be run like one is only true to a point.
The postal service is constitutionally mandated. It is implied that they are to provide service to all citizens, whether or not they live in an urban area or in a remote area. The true cost of providing those services are well above what we pay for postage. Furthermore, they may be semi-independent, but the majority of their board is still appointed by the president and confirmed by the senate, which also makes decisions somewhat political. They need to operate like a business, in the sense that they cannot continue to lose money every year. They should trim services and become more streamlined, but they are not a normal business that can completely cut operations in unprofitable regions.
No, they can’t “completely cut operations in unprofitable regions” since that would mean ending services nationwide. It means closing branches where revenues come nowhere near covering the salaries and benefits of the few counter clerks still working there. In broad terms, the PO has two public faces, home delivery and their various retail locations, including these two branches. When it comes to actually going into a post office (as opposed to driving by to mail a letter outside), I’m like most other people, I go maybe every two or three months (and dread the slow service). Putting contract post offices inside existing businesses (drug and grocery stores) is a proven, cost-effective answer, and will likely fill any voids left by these kinds of closures. In urban areas like St. Louis, there will continue to be multiple, convenient locations, just not nearly quite as many – kind of like how we could survive and function with half as many Aldermen. And if you just need stamps, you can always buy them froom the customer service counter in most supermarkets.
 I agree about the renaming business; I think it is wrong that one minor politician can get a post office or other government named after them for “feel good” reasons. I think these buildings should be named after streets, neighborhoods, truly historic figures like Dred Scott or Mark Twain, and very important politicians, such as mayors who served with distinction. Parkway names its schools in such a way.
I really don’t have an issue with a community naming a building or a street or a park after someone just as business do the same or donors of many institutions expect the same. Can think of a recently built sports arena that SLU named after its major contributor. I actually work for a business that started its own museum named after the companies founder and wouldn’t doubt that you can find a fair share of naming things in the corporate world even though JZ thinks otherwise (Heck, all our works boats are named after individuals) In the same breadth, I think names can be taken away just as they did with McGuire Freeway.
As far as the history great post. As far as keeping post offices open because of a name attached to it is the same mentality that congress argues for mandating the USPS to provide six days a week delivery when their is no need for it. Won’t go far as JZ71 claiming its solely a business as it truly provides a certain service but it certainly can change the way it delivers that service.Â
I really don’t have an issue with a community naming a building or a street or a park after someone just as business do the same or donors of many institutions expect the same. Can think of a recently built sports arena that SLU named after its major contributor. I actually work for a business that started its own museum named after the companies founder and wouldn’t doubt that you can find a fair share of naming things in the corporate world even though JZ thinks otherwise (Heck, all our works boats are named after individuals) In the same breadth, I think names can be taken away just as they did with McGuire Freeway.
As far as the history great post. As far as keeping post offices open because of a name attached to it is the same mentality that congress argues for mandating the USPS to provide six days a week delivery when their is no need for it. Won’t go far as JZ71 claiming its solely a business as it truly provides a certain service but it certainly can change the way it delivers that service.
The difference between a college naming a building after a wealthy donor and the USPS naming a building after a politician is who pays for it. These post office buildings were paid for with all of our tax dollars, before the USPS was privatized; the wealthy donor wrote a big check. If the politician were to write a check out of their own pocket, I’d have no problem. But politicians are still employees. They’re paid for their services, at a rate that they know before they take office. And yes, you find “a fair share of naming things in the corporate world”. The difference is that they’re almost always for the corporate founders, and not for some salesman or department manager . . . .
The two politicians in this post were trailblazers, important figures that demonstrated African Amercas can participate in the American political system.
I don’t disagree that they weren’t either trailblazers or prominent in the African-American community. My point is that they were, first and foremost, politicians, not much different than the political leaders in the Italian, Irish or German ethnic neighborhoods elsewhere in town. How many other post offices in those neighborhoods are named for their “trailblazing” politicians?
The difference between a college naming a building after a wealthy donor and the USPS naming a building after a politician is who pays for it. These post office buildings were paid for with all of our tax dollars, before the USPS was privatized; the wealthy donor wrote a big check. If the politician were to write a check out of their own pocket, I’d have no problem. But politicians are still employees. They’re paid for their services, at a rate that they know before they take office. And yes, you find “a fair share of naming things in the corporate world”. The difference is that they’re almost always for the corporate founders, and not for some salesman or department manager . . . .
The two politicians in this post were trailblazers, important figures that demonstrated African Amercas can participate in the American political system.
I don’t disagree that they weren’t either trailblazers or prominent in the African-American community. My point is that they were, first and foremost, politicians, not much different than the political leaders in the Italian, Irish or German ethnic neighborhoods elsewhere in town. How many other post offices in those neighborhoods are named for their “trailblazing” politicians?
To clarify, my concerns about (and opposition to) naming any government facility for politicians are that many times it’s based on ethnicity, and both neighborhoods and values change and evolve. Across the south, there are many examples of facilities named for Jefferson Davis (president of the Confederacy), Confederate generals and members of the Ku Klux Klan. With 20/20 hindsight, most of us agree that this is wrong. In Denver, Columbus Park, named for Christopher and located in the heart of what used to be an Italian-American neighborhood, has become a major point of contention as the Italians have moved out and Hispanics have moved in – the Hispanics don’t view Columbus as hero who discovered America, they view him as an invader who enslaved the indigenous people of the continent.
History can’t be changed, it is what it is, and the people who participated in it should be recorded for posterity. We also have a finite number of significant structures, and we need to be careful in how we hand out naming rights. Which mayor from our nearly 200 year history should have their name on city hall? Which police chiefs should have their name on police headquarters and on the various district stations? Should every alderman from our history have a park or street named for them? Every democratic committee person? Every republican one? Every police officer and fire fighter who loses their life on the job? Every school board member, tax collector, assessor, sheriff and constable? Everyone who ever served in the state legislature? What about our sports heros, musicians, artists and local celebrities? Local religious leaders?
If we can’t do something for everybody, how do we prioritize? And, is renaming OK? Replacing someone from the 19th century with someone from the 20th century? And should it only occur posthumously? Barrack Obama Elementary School just opened in north county.  And what happens when a named structure becomes obsolete? Does that person have first dibs on the next available facility? Or, do they just fade into history?
I get it, the causes and the people close to us are important to us. We also all have different ways that we want to be recognized. Some of us value titles, some of us value money. Add in the reality that the people and causes I find to be important aren’t always the same ones you do. I don’t care who or what you want to honor in your own home, at your own business or on your own property. I do believe that government facilities need to be inclusive, not exlusive. And, by definition, no politician ever gets everyone’s votes, at least not in the United States. You can call it the tyrany of the majority or you can call it appeasing the minority, but either way, some people are being forced to honor recipients that they want little or nothing to do with . . . .
To clarify, my concerns about (and opposition to) naming any government facility for politicians are that many times it’s based on ethnicity, and both neighborhoods and values change and evolve. Across the south, there are many examples of facilities named for Jefferson Davis (president of the Confederacy), Confederate generals and members of the Ku Klux Klan. With 20/20 hindsight, most of us agree that this is wrong. In Denver, Columbus Park, named for Christopher and located in the heart of what used to be an Italian-American neighborhood, has become a major point of contention as the Italians have moved out and Hispanics have moved in – the Hispanics don’t view Columbus as hero who discovered America, they view him as an invader who enslaved the indigenous people of the continent.
History can’t be changed, it is what it is, and the people who participated in it should be recorded for posterity. We also have a finite number of significant structures, and we need to be careful in how we hand out naming rights. Which mayor from our nearly 200 year history should have their name on city hall? Which police chiefs should have their name on police headquarters and on the various district stations? Should every alderman from our history have a park or street named for them? Every democratic committee person? Every republican one? Every police officer and fire fighter who loses their life on the job? Every school board member, tax collector, assessor, sheriff and constable? Everyone who ever served in the state legislature? What about our sports heros, musicians, artists and local celebrities? Local religious leaders?
If we can’t do something for everybody, how do we prioritize? And, is renaming OK? Replacing someone from the 19th century with someone from the 20th century? And should it only occur posthumously? Barrack Obama Elementary School just opened in north county. And what happens when a named structure becomes obsolete? Does that person have first dibs on the next available facility? Or, do they just fade into history?
I get it, the causes and the people close to us are important to us. We also all have different ways that we want to be recognized. Some of us value titles, some of us value money. Add in the reality that the people and causes I find to be important aren’t always the same ones you do. I don’t care who or what you want to honor in your own home, at your own business or on your own property. I do believe that government facilities need to be inclusive, not exlusive. And, by definition, no politician ever gets everyone’s votes, at least not in the United States. You can call it the tyrany of the majority or you can call it appeasing the minority, but either way, some people are being forced to honor recipients that they want little or nothing to do with . . . .