On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he had tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her, "You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war." Van Lew modernized the city's postal system and employed several African-Americans, with the same pay and benefits as white employees, until new President Rutherford B. Hayes had her replaced in 1877. She was allowed to return as a postal clerk in Richmond, where she served from 1883 to 1887.