Dates: 1949-1953
U.S. Commissioner of Education, 1949-1953
The papers of Earl J. McGrath consist of microfilmed copies of his speeches, articles, and other public statements and published writings as U.S. Commissioner of Education. The collection documents McGrath's involvement in education policy during the Truman administration; his views on issues affecting elementary and secondary schools as well as colleges and universities during this period; and his support for a program of federal aid to education.
Size: Three reels of microfilm.
Access: Open.
Copyright: Documents created by U.S. government officials in the course of their official duties are in the public domain. Copyright interest in other writings in this collection is assumed to remain with the authors of the documents, or their heirs
Processed by: Randy Sowell (1999); Kevin Ploth and David Clark (2016).
[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]
1902 (November 16) |
Born, Buffalo, New York |
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1928 |
B.A., University of Buffalo |
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1928-1942 |
Member of faculty and administrator, University of Buffalo; fellow at University of Chicago; educational consultant |
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1930 |
M.A., University of Buffalo |
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1936 |
Ph.D., University of Chicago |
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1942-1944 |
Lt. Commander, U.S. Navy, in charge of educational services, Bureau of Naval Personnel |
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1944 (May 12) |
Married Dorothy Ann Leemon |
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1945-1948 |
Dean, College of Liberal Arts, University of Iowa |
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1946-1947 |
Served on the President's Commission on Higher Education |
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1948-1949 |
Professor, University of Chicago |
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1949-1953 |
U.S. Commissioner of Education |
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1953-1993 |
1953-93 Administrator and professor at University of Kansas City, Columbia University, Temple University, University of Arizona, and elsewhere |
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1993 (January 14) |
Died, Tucson, Arizona |
The papers of Earl J. McGrath were copied on microfilm in 1958 from original documents in the possession of the McGrath family. They consist of McGrath's speeches, articles, and other public statements and published writings during his tenure as U.S. Commissioner of Education, from 1949 to 1953.
A professor and college administrator, McGrath served on the President's Commission on Higher Education in 1946-1947. In 1949, while a member of the faculty of the University of Chicago, he was selected to head the Office of Education, with the title of U.S. Commissioner of Education. Administratively, the Office of Education was part of the Federal Security Agency during this period. It was responsible for collecting statistics and other information pertaining to education in the United States; conducting research and reporting on educational problems; administering grants-in-aid and special programs; and advising state and local school officials, university administrators, and other members of the profession.
McGrath's years as Commissioner coincided with an "educational crisis" in the United States, as public schools struggled to accommodate increased enrollments-a result of the higher birth rates that began in the 1940s-with resources that were widely regarded as inadequate. Many of McGrath's public statements had to do with the urgent need for new schools, more teachers at higher salaries, and a greater commitment of national resources to education. As part of this agenda, he repeatedly advocated a program of federal aid to education, but legislation to this effect was stymied in Congress along with most of President Truman's other "Fair Deal" proposals.
McGrath's public statements and writings also dealt with such topics as the need for foreign language and science instruction in the schools; the future of higher education as many World War II veterans completed their studies under the GI Bill; improvements in elementary, secondary, and vocational education; efforts to combat the spread of polio among schoolchildren; the establishment of junior colleges; developments in teacher-training; and the role of American education in the Cold War struggle against communism. McGrath avoided taking controversial positions on several of the most contentious educational issues of his time. He sidestepped the thorny question of federal aid to parochial schools. He criticized the requirement of anti-communist loyalty oaths for teachers, but added that teachers should sign such oaths in obedience to public opinion. And he carefully refrained from involving himself in the furor over racial segregation in the public schools, pointing out that the Office of Education had no authority to interfere with state or local policies.
The papers of Earl J. McGrath are organized in a single series, the Speeches, Articles, and Public Statements File, and are arranged in chronological order. This entire collection is digitized and available online. More information about Earl J. McGrath and education policy during the Truman administration can be found at the Truman Library in the following collections, among others: Official File, President's Secretary's Files, Harry S. Truman Post-Presidential Papers, Oscar R. Ewing Papers, Ralph C. M. Flynt Papers, and John D. Russell Papers.
Container Nos. |
Series |
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1-3 |
SPEECHES, ARTICLES, AND PUBLIC STATEMENTS FILE, 1949-1953 Speeches, articles, and other public statements and published writings of Earl J. McGrath during his tenure as U.S. Commissioner of Education. Arranged chronologically. |
SPEECHES, ARTICLES, AND PUBLIC STATEMENTS FILE, 1949-1953
Box 1
- Spring, 1949: Statement, Published in The Staff Reporter, Publication of Wilmington, Delaware Public Schools
- March 10, 1949: Statement, To Editor of The Nation’s Schools
- March 18, 1949: Statement, Press Conference with J. Donald Kingsley before Induction Ceremony
- March 18, 1949: Induction Statement, Upon Induction as U.S. Comm. of Education
- March 21, 1949: Address—Needed Experimentation in General Education, At University of Minnesota
- March 23, 1949: Remarks—Debaters on Federal Aid for Education Agree on Need of Scholarship Plan, As Part of Third Annual Bulletin Forum, Philadelphia, PA.
- March 23, 1949: Can Federal Aid Meet the Demands of Higher Education in America? Third Annual Bulletin Forum, Philadelphia, PA.
- March 24, 1949: Statement, Senate Appropriations Committee
- April, 1949: The Goals of Higher Education, Condensed for Publication in the Journal of Higher Education
- April 6, 1949: Education and Americanization of the Newly Arrived Immigrant, Displaced Persons Commission, Chicago, Illinois
- April 9, 1949: Campus Salute, At University of Buffalo, Broadcast over Mutual Network
- April 14, 1949: Statement of Opinion, Published in Staff Reporter
- April 28, 1949: The Mission of Higher Education in the U.S., Annual Convention of American College Public Relations Association, Washington, D.C.
- May 5, 1949: Letter of Commendation, Published in ORT Bulletin
- May 6, 1949: Address—The Education of College Teachers, American Council on Education, Washington, D.C.
- May 18, 1949: Statement, House Subcommittee on Education
- May 28, 1949: Address—American Public Education, Jew