Heck's Bill Naming Tumwater Post Office Signed Into Law
Statement
Yesterday, Congressman Denny Heck's (D-WA) bill naming the Tumwater Post Office to honor Eva G. Hewitt was signed into law. Hewitt served as Tumwater's first woman postmaster from 1915 until her retirement in 1942.
"It's heartwarming that we're closing out 2019, a year marking 150 years since Tumwater's incorporation, with the Eva G. Hewitt Post Office being signed into law," said Congressman Heck. "Eva was a businesswoman, postmaster, and community leader during her life, and it's only fitting that the Tumwater Post Office be named for her. I send my sincere thanks to the City of Tumwater for sharing Eva's story with the community and approaching me about this bill. I look forward to visiting the Eva G. Hewitt Post Office soon when I'm back home."
Heck introduced the bill in March during Women's History Month. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives by voice vote in July. The bill was successfully guided through the Senate by Washington's U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, and passed the Senate by unanimous consent in November.
The law designates the United States Postal Service facility located at 200 Israel Road Southeast in Tumwater, Washington as the ""Eva G. Hewitt Post Office.'' It further requires that any mention in any law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States properly reference the facility and use the new name.
Often described as the "heart and soul of Tumwater," Eva G. Hewitt (1875-1957) played an influential role during the early years of Tumwater. She assumed the position of postmaster in 1915, where she oversaw the tremendous growth in mail volumes in the South Sound. Following the death of her husband in 1927, she took over business operations of the Hewitt Drug Store. She served as store owner and postmaster until her retirement in 1942. In addition to being Tumwater's first woman postmaster, Eva G. Hewitt was the longest-serving Tumwater postmaster at the time of her retirement. She was also widely regarded as Tumwater's local historian, researching, preserving, and promoting the history of the Pacific Northwest. Hewitt passed away in Olympia in 1957.
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