Myer, Dillon S. Papers

Dates: 1934-1966

Chief, Compliance Division, Agricultural Adjustment Administration, United States Department of Agriculture, 1934-1936; Chief, Division of Cooperative Relations and Planning, Soil Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 1936-1942; Director, War Relocation Authority, United States Department of the Interior, 1942-1946; Commissioner, Federal Public Housing Authority, 1946-1947; Commissioner, Public Housing Administration, 1947; President, Institute of Inter-American Affairs, 1948-1950; Commissioner, Bureau of Indian Affairs, United States Department of the Interior, 1950-1953

The papers of Dillon S. Myer consist of correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, reports and speeches pertaining to his service in the Department of Agriculture, War Relocation Authority, Federal Public Housing Authority, Public Housing Administration and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The collection documents the relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II, the housing shortages during the mid 1940s, the status of Native Americans during the early 1950s, and Myer's professional career from the 1930s to the 1960s.

[Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List]

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Size: 1.6 linear feet (about 3200 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: Dillon S. Myer donated to the U.S. government his copyright interest in the unpublished writings in this collection, and in any other collection of papers in the custody of the U.S. government. Documents created by U.S. government employees in the course of their official duties are also in the public domain. Copyright interest in other documents is assumed to belong to the creators of those documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Philip D. Lagerquist (1962); Dennis E. Bilger (1975); David Clark, Tammy Kelly and Jonathan Pearson (2003)


[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

1891 (September 4)

   

Born in Licking County, Ohio

1914

   

Graduated from Ohio State University

1914-1916

   

Instructor in agronomy, University of Kentucky

1916-1917

   

Agriculture demonstration agent, Vanderburgh County, Indiana

1917-1920

   

Assistant county agent leader with Purdue University agriculture extension service

1920-1922

   

Agriculture agent, Franklin County, Ohio

1922-1924

   

District supervisor of Ohio State University extension service

1926

   

Graduated with M.A. in Education from Columbia University

1933

   

Ohio supervisor of Agricultural Adjustment Administration

1934-1936

   

Chief, Compliance Division, Agricultural Adjustment Administration, Department of Agriculture

1936-1942

   

Chief, Division of Cooperative Relations and Planning, Soil Conservation Service, Department of Agriculture

1942-1946

   

Director, War Relocation Authority, Department of the Interior

1946-1947

   

Commissioner, Federal Public Housing Authority

1947

   

Commissioner, Public Housing Administration

1948-1950

   

President, Institute of Inter-American Affairs

1950-1953

   

Commissioner, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior

1953-1958

   

Executive Director, Group Health Association

1959-1960

   

United Nations senior expert in public administration, Caracas, Venezuela

1961-1964

   

Personnel consultant to the Brookings Institution and government agencies

1982 (October 4)

   

Died in Silver Spring, Maryland

[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

The papers of Dillon S. Myer consist of correspondence, memorandums, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, reports and speeches pertaining to his service in the Department of Agriculture, War Relocation Authority, Federal Public Housing Authority, Public Housing Administration, Institute of Inter-American Affairs, and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The collection consists of two series, the Government Agencies File and the Personal Correspondence File.

Dillon S. Myer worked for the Department of Agriculture from 1933 to 1942 in various capacities within the Agricultural Adjustment Administration and the Soil Conservation Service. From 1942-1946, he was the Director of the War Relocation Authority which oversaw the relocation and resettlement of Japanese-Americans during World War II. As Commissioner of the Federal Public Housing Authority from 1946-1947, Myer dealt with housing shortages. From 1948-1950, Myer was the President of the Institute of Inter-American Affairs and between 1950 and 1953, he was the Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs within the Department of the Interior.

The Government Agencies File series consists of materials pertaining to Dillon S. Myer's career with the federal government. The Department of Agriculture records contain correspondence and speeches regarding the Agricultural Adjustment Program, soil conservation, and speaking invitations from 1934-1942. The War Relocation Authority materials include press conference transcripts, speeches, memorandums, reports, meeting minutes, hearings, and newspaper clippings pertaining to the establishment of the War Relocation Authority, and the migration, treatment and resettlement of Japanese-Americans during and after World War II. The Federal Public Housing Authority and Public Housing Administration records consist of speeches and correspondence pertaining to housing shortages, low-rent housing, low-income families, the U.S. Housing Act and veterans from 1946-1947. The Institute of Inter-American Affairs materials contain speeches, reports and memorandums pertaining to the Institute's history, renewable natural resources, resource conservation, and public administration from 1948-1950. The Bureau of Indian Affairs records include memorandums, reports, notes, and meeting minutes pertaining to the Indian tribe withdrawal program, tribal attorney contract regulations, education policies, poverty, increasing population, sale of property, resources, services, relations between Indians and the government, law enforcement and federal supervision from 1950-1953.

The Personal Correspondence File series consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, and speeches pertaining to various subjects, including Myer's career, agriculture, soil conservation, land use planning, Indian programs, federal legislation, organizational memberships, appointments, speaking invitations, and Japanese relocation from 1934-1966. The correspondence is between Dillon S. Myer and individuals such as Henry Wallace, Milton Eisenhower, Oscar Chapman, Harold Ickes, Charles Brannan, Earl Warren and the Japanese American Citizens League. In addition to personal correspondence, this series also contains work related correspondence.

Other relevant holdings at the Truman Library include an oral history interview with Dillon S. Myer. Documents pertaining to Japanese-American relations can be found at the Library in the Papers of Harry S. Truman (White House Central Files: Official File 6-K) and in the Papers of Philleo Nash and Tom Clark. Additional materials regarding Indian affairs are located in the Papers of Harry S. Truman (White House Central Files: Official File 6-C and Official File 296) and in the Papers of William and Sophie Brophy.

[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Container Nos.

 

Series

1-2

  GOVERNMENT AGENCIES FILE, 1934-1960
Correspondence, hearings, memorandums, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, notes, press conference transcripts, reports, and speeches. Arranged chronologically.

2-4

  PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE FILE, 1934-1966
Correspondence, agendas, memorandums, newspaper clippings, and speeches. Arranged chronologically.
[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

FOLDER TITLE LIST

Box 1

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES FILE, 1934-1960

Box 2

  • 1950-1953-Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Memoranda and Reports [1 of 4]
  • 1950-1953-Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Memoranda and Reports [2 of 4]
  • 1950-1953-Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Memoranda and Reports [3 of 4]
  • 1950-1953-Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Memoranda and Reports [4 of 4]
  • 1950-1953-Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Notes and Talks
  • 1958-1960-Institute of Inter-American Affairs, Report on Venezuela

PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE FILE, 1934-1966

  • 1934-1936
  • 1937-1940
  • 1941-1942

Box 3

  • 1943-1944
  • 1945
  • 1946 [1 of 2]
  • 1946 [2 of 2]
  • 1947 [1 of 4]
  • 1947 [2 of 4]
  • 1947 [3 of 4]
  • 1947 [4 of 4]
  • 1948 [1 of 2]

Box 4

  • 1948 [2 of 2]
  • 1949 [1 of 2]
  • 1949 [2 of 2]
  • 1950 [1 of 2]
  • 1950 [2 of 2]
  • 1951
  • 1952
  • 1953
  • 1954-1956
  • 1961-1966
[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]