Marvin Runyon, U.S. postmaster general from 1992 to 1998, died May 3. He was 79.

“He was a hard-driving public servant who ushered in the U.S. Postal Service’s new emphasis on being cost-driven,” said Neal Denton, executive director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers.

“Marvin Runyon had many friends in the mailing community who appreciated his efforts to make the postal service operate in a more businesslike fashion,” said Robert McLean, executive director of the Mailers Council. He added that Runyon’s cost-cutting endeavors initiated a long period of rate stability at the postal service.

“Marvin brought a new dimension to our industry and set the stage for today’s discussions of legislative reform,” said Postmaster General Jack Potter in a statement. “He had the foresight to [realize] that technology would play a major role in automating America’s letter and package mail streams.”

During Runyon’s tenure, the postal service cut more than two decades of accumulated losses in half and lifted overnight, on-time first class mail delivery scores to all-time highs. They went up 13 points from 1994 to 1997, according to the USPS.

In addition, the postal service overhauled its products and mailing guidelines, making them more modern and customer-focused. Runyon worked with Congress and the mailing industry to introduce major postal reform legislation for the first time since 1971.

Before serving as PMG, Runyon had been an executive at Ford Motor Co., helped Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corp. launch its first U.S. assembly plant and streamlined the Tennessee Valley Authority.

In his sometimes stormy tenure as postmaster general, Runyon eliminated hundreds of management jobs, reorganized the massive operation and built a business that made more than $1 billion in profits by the time he left.

“We focus on the customer. That’s one of the things about government agencies, they don’t focus on the customer,” Runyon said as PMG.

There was only one rate rise for regular mail during Runyon’s tenure, from 29 cents to 32 cents.

Runyon entered public service in 1988 when President Reagan named him chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority, a post he held until becoming postmaster general.

Runyon was born in Fort Worth, TX and grew up in Dallas. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1943 and was discharged in 1945 with the rank of lieutenant. He was a management engineering graduate of Texas A&M University.

He was married in 1988 to Sue Atkinson. He is survived by his wife, four children and a stepson.

Former Postmaster General Marvin Runyon died Monday. He was 79. The cause was lung disease, according to published reports.

He served between 1992 and 1998.

“He was a hard-driving public servant who kind of ushered in the postal service’s new emphasis on being cost-driven,” said Neal Denton, executive director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers.

“Marvin Runyon had many friends in the mailing community who appreciated his efforts to make the Postal Service operate in a more business-like fashion,” said Robert McLean, executive director of he Mailers Council, noting that his cost-cutting efforts brought a long period of rate stability to the USPS.

“Marvin brought a new dimension to our industry and set the stage for today’s discussions of legislative reform,” said Postmaster General Jack Potter in a statement. “He had the foresight to see that technology would play a major role in automating America’s letter and package mailstreams.”

During Runyon’s tenure, the USPS cut more than two decades of accumulated losses in half and lifted overnight, on-time first-class mail delivery scores to all-time highs, raising them 13 points from 1994 to 1997, according to the USPS.

In addition, the postal service overhauled its products and mailing guidelines, making them more modern and customer-focused. He worked with Congress and the mailing industry to introduce major postal reform legislation for the first time since 1971.

Before serving as PMG, Runyon had been an executive for the Ford Motor Co., helped Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corp. launch its first U.S. assembly plant and reorganized and streamlined the Tennessee Valley Authority, according to news reports.

In his sometimes stormy tenure as postmaster general, Runyon eliminated hundreds of management jobs, reorganized the massive operation and built a business that made more than $1 billion in profits by the time he left.

”We focused on the customer; the customer is our focus. That’s one of the things about government agencies, they don’t focus on the customer,” Runyon said at the time.

There was only one rate rise for regular mail during Runyon’s tenure, from 29 cents to 32 cents.

Runyon entered public service in 1988 when President Reagan named him chairman of the TVA, a post he held until becoming postmaster general.

Runyon was born in Fort Worth, TX, and grew up in Dallas. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1943 and was discharged in 1945 with the rank of lieutenant. He was a management engineering graduate of Texas A&M University.

He was married in 1988 to Sue Atkinson, who survives. Other survivors are his sister, Marion Civello of North Richland Hills, TX; four children; and a stepson.