John W. Macy, Jr. (# 158)

An Inventory of His Personal Papers
1960-1963
In the John F. Kennedy Library
National Archives and Records Administration

Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
List of Series
Description


Administrative Information

Abstract
Papers 1960-1963
Management consultant, government official. Chairman, Civil Service Commission (1961-1969). Correspondence.

Access
Open.

Usage Restrictions
Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.

Copyright
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excesses of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. The copyright law extends its protection to unpublished works from the moment of creation in a tangible form. Direct your questions concerning copyright to the reference staff.

Provenance
Received from Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum of Austin, TX, in June 1983 (Acc. 1983-05).

Extent
About 300 items (7 linear inches ; 0.75 cubic feet).

Date Opened
June 2005.

Finding Aid Prepared by
Jennifer Blake.

Encoded by
Jennifer Blake.

Related Collections
John Macy Oral History Interview, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
U.S. Civil Service Commission Records, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
White House Central Files, Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library
Office Files of the White House Aides, Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library.
Archives of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB): John W. Macy Files, University of Maryland Libraries
 

The Personal Papers of John Macy (1917-1986)

Biographical Note
John Williams Macy, Jr. was born in 1917 in Chicago, IL. He received a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1938 and pursued further study at American University from 1938-1939. He started his government career in 1938, when he worked as an intern at the National Institute of Public Affairs (1938 – 1939). From there he became an administrative aide of the Social Security Board (1939-1940). In 1944, he married Joyce Hagen. During World War II, he was the assistant director of civilian personnel for the war department in Washington, DC. After the war, he was selected to be the organization director for the Atomic Energy Commission in Los Alamos, NM (1947-1951). He later returned to Washington to work as a special assistant to the army (1951-1953) and in 1953 he was appointed by President Eisenhower as the executive director of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) (1953-1958). After some time working as executive vice-president of Wesleyan University (1958-1961), Macy returned to the Civil Service Commission under the Kennedy and Johnson Administration and this time served as chairman of the commission (1961-1969). In this position, Macy spoke out against sexual and racial discrimination in the federal government and called for federal salaries to be put on par with private industry salaries. At this time, Macy also directed the Personnel Appointment Office, a newly formed White Hose department. Macy left the CSC and later served as president for both the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (1969-1972) and the Council of Better Business Bureaus (1972-1979). In 1979, Macy became the first director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He served in that position until 1981. During his career Macy was also the author of several books, including Public Service: Human Side of Government (1971). John Macy died in 1986 in McLean, VA.

Collection Overview
The John W. Macy, Jr. collection consists of photocopied material from the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, TX. The collection is a subset of the files kept by John Macy in his capacity as Chairman of the Civil Service Commission and corresponds to the years he worked with the Kennedy administration. The files relate to appointments of government officials made by President Kennedy. The Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library is home to the larger John Macy collection from which this collection is taken. A copy of the finding aid to the John Macy collection at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library is included.

List of Series
Series 1. Office Files, 1960-1963
  

Collection Description

Series 1. Office Files, 1960-1963.  
About 300 items.
Arrangement:alphabetical by surname.

This series consists of office files kept by John Macy. The files contain information relating to government appointments made by President Kennedy, including biographical sketches of and references for potential appointees, as well as press releases and memos concerning the appointees.