Erskine, Graves B. Papers

Administrator, Retraining and Reemployment Administration, 1945-1947

The papers of Graves B. Erskine contain speeches, speech drafts, transcripts, press releases, correspondence, printed materials, and other documents relating to his service as head of the Retraining and Reemployment Administration after World War II.

Size: 1.6 linear feet (about 3,200 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: The donor gave their copyright interest in these papers to the United States of America. Documents created by U.S. government officials in the course of their duties are also in the public domain. Copyright interest in other documents presumably belongs to the creators of those documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: C. Warren Ohrvall (1973); Randy Sowell (2025).

Graves Blanchard Erskine was born in Columbia, Louisiana on June 28, 1897. After graduating from Louisiana State University in 1917, he became an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in France during World War I. He was seriously wounded in combat and was hospitalized for a year, during which he underwent nine surgeries. Erskine received the Silver Star and the Purple Heart for his heroism. He remained in the Marine Corps after the war and served in Haiti, Nicaragua, China, and Cuba during the 1920s and 1930s. During World War II, he was promoted to brigadier general and became chief of staff of the 5th Amphibious Corps. He twice received the Legion of Merit for his role in the capture of the Pacific islands of Kwajalein, Saipan, and Tinian. In 1944, Erskine was promoted to major general, and a year later he commanded the 3rd Marine Division during the historic battle of Iwo Jima. After the war, Erskine served as administrator of the Retraining and Reemployment Administration (RRA) from 1945 to 1947. Upon his return to active duty, he became commander of the 1st Marine Division and held other high-ranking positions before retiring with the rank of general in 1953. Erskine then served as director of special operations in the Defense Department from 1953 to 1961. He died in Bethesda, Maryland on May 21, 1973, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

The papers of Graves B. Erskine contain speeches, speech drafts, transcripts, press releases, correspondence, printed materials, and other documents relating to his service as head of the Retraining and Reemployment Administration after World War II. The papers are arranged in two series. The first series, the Speech File, is mostly comprised of speeches and drafts of speeches delivered by Erskine to veterans’ organizations and groups involved in the training and employment of disabled servicemen. Among the organizations that Erskine addressed were the American Legion, the American Federation of Labor, the Disabled American Veterans, and AMVETS (American Veterans of World War II). The series also includes press releases, transcripts of radio broadcasts, schedules, and correspondence relating to Erskine’s speaking engagements.

The second series, the Information File, contains background material used by Erskine in preparing his speeches. This material includes speeches and drafts of speeches relating to specific topics, and publications concerning agencies and organizations that assisted veterans or provided training and employment opportunities to persons with disabilities. The Information File also contains a transcript of an official meeting regarding the obligation of state governments to help with the retraining of veterans and workers previously employed in war industries, and a report by the U.S. Senate Committee on Education and Labor. Also included is material relating to National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week, an annual observance that was established in 1945.