Winton M. Blount facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Red Blount
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| 59th United States Postmaster General | |
| In office January 22, 1969 – January 1, 1972 |
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| 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, U.S. |
| Died | October 24, 2002 (aged 81) Highlands, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Unit | United States Army Air Forces |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Winton Malcolm Blount Jr., known as Red Blount (born February 1, 1921 – died October 24, 2002), was an important American businessman and public servant. He served as the United States Postmaster General from 1969 to 1972. He also started a very large construction company called Blount International, based in Montgomery, Alabama.
Red Blount was the last Postmaster General to be part of the President's top team, known as the Cabinet.
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Early Life and Business Career
Winton Blount was born in Union Springs, Alabama. During World War II, he joined the United States Army Air Forces. He trained to fly large B-29 planes, but the war ended before he finished his training.
In 1946, Blount and his brother, William Houston Blount, started their own construction business called Blount Brothers. Their company built many famous structures. These include the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans and Complex 39A at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Complex 39A was the launch site for the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.
Public Service and Politics
Blount became involved in politics and public service. In 1952, he led the "Citizens for Eisenhower" group in Alabama. Later, in 1960, he helped with Richard Nixon's presidential campaign in the Southeast.
He also served as president of important business groups. In 1961, he led the Alabama Chamber of Commerce. In 1968, he became president of the United States Chamber of Commerce.
In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson asked Blount to join a special committee. This committee advised the White House on how to carry out the new Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Postmaster General
In 1969, President Richard Nixon chose Winton Blount to be the Postmaster General. This was a very important job. Blount oversaw a big change for the postal service. In 1971, the U.S. Post Office Department changed from being a part of the President's Cabinet to an independent agency. This new agency was called the United States Postal Service.
Because of this change, Blount was the last Postmaster General who was part of the Cabinet. He then became the first leader of the new U.S. Postal Service.
To celebrate the new Postal Service, a special silver coin was made in 1971. Blount's picture was on the coin, along with Benjamin Franklin, who was the first Postmaster General.
U.S. Senate Campaign
In 1972, Blount ran for the U.S. Senate in Alabama. He ran against a long-serving Democrat named John Sparkman. Sparkman had even been a candidate for Vice President in 1952.
During this campaign, future U.S. President George W. Bush worked for Blount as his political director. However, Blount did not win the election. Sparkman received about 65% of the votes, while Blount received about 35%.
Later Years and Legacy
After his time as Postmaster General, Blount returned to his construction company, Blount International, Inc. He became its president again in 1974. One of the company's big projects was building the King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 1981 to 1984.
In 1996, Blount wrote his autobiography, Doing It My Way, with Richard Blodgett. In 1999, his company, Blount International, Inc., was sold for a large sum of money.
Winton Blount passed away in Highlands, North Carolina, when he was 81 years old.
Blount and his wife, Carolyn, were very generous people who supported the arts. They created the Blount Cultural Park in Montgomery. This park is home to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. In 1985, the Blounts gave land and a large theater building to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. This gift was worth $21.5 million and was the biggest private donation ever made to an American theater at that time.
Several places and programs are named in his honor. The Winton M. Blount Elementary School in Montgomery County opened in 2003. The Blount Undergraduate Initiative at the University of Alabama is an honors program for students. Also, the Winton M. Blount Center for Postal Studies and a research chair at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum were started with money from his estate.
