W. Graham Claytor Jr.
William Graham Claytor, Jr. (March 14, 1912 - May 14, 1994) was an American lawyer, naval officer, and railroad, transportation and defence administrator for the United States government, working under the administrations of three US presidents.
He is remembered for his actions as the captain of a destroyer escort in World War II which helped to save 316 lives during the USS Indianapolis tragedy. Over 30 years later, Claytor's moderate actions on behalf of the rights of female and gay service personnel as Secretary of the Navy were considered progressive for the time. He is also credited with a distinguished transportation career, including ten years as president of the Southern Railway and 11 years as the head of Amtrak, guiding the passenger railroad through a particularly difficult period in its history.
Education, early career
W. Graham Claytor Jr. was born in Roanoke, Virginia, and grew up in Virginia and Philadelphia. [citation needed] He was the son of Gertrude Harris Boatwright, a lyric poet who published two collections of her poems, and W. Graham Claytor (1886-1971), who was vice president of Appalachian Power. The father became notable for supervision of construction of a hydroelectric dam and creation of 4,500 acre (18 km²), 21 mile (34 km) long Claytor Lake on the New River, later named for him and now-located at Claytor Lake State Park in Virginia. [citation needed]
He was a 1933 graduate of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. [citation needed] He was a 1936 summa cum laude graduate of the Law School of Harvard University. [citation needed] He then joined prestigious Washington, DC law firm Covington & Burling.
World War II: U.S. Navy, Indianapolis tragedy
As World War II broke out, in 1940, 28 year-old Claytor attempted to enlist, but was initially rejected by the United States Navy as being "too old". [citation needed] He finally joined under a special provision, based upon his previous experience in sports boating, and was assigned to the Pacific Theater. [citation needed]
Late in the War, Claytor was commander of the destroyer escort U.S.S. Cecil J. Doyle on patrol in the Pacific Ocean. In August, 1945, Mr. Claytor sped without orders [citation needed] to check reports of men floating in the water. As the Doyle approached the area at night, Claytor turned the ship's searchlights on the water and straight up on low clouds, lighting up the night, despite the risk of exposing his ship to possible attack by Japanese submarines. These actions facilitated the rescue of almost 100 survivors of the sunken cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis had been on a secret mission, and due to a communications error, had not been reported as overdue (or missing). An estimated 900 men survived the sinking, but spent days floating in life jackets trying to fight off sharks when there were no initial rescue efforts. While only 316 men were rescued out of the crew of 1,199 aboard the Indianapolis, Captain Claytor's actions were widely credited by survivors with preventing an even greater loss of life. [citation needed]
Legal practice, Southern Railway
After World War II, he resumed practice of law in Washington DC. He became an officer of the Southern Railway in 1963, serving as its president from 1967-1977. [citation needed] Notwithstanding his legal background, Claytor was known as an "operations" man, often riding the company's trains, monitoring and questioning performance. [citation needed]In contrast to his predecessor, D.W. Brosnan, Mr. Claytor was an "employee's President," often chatting with the crews of the trains on which he rode, actively soliciting their suggestions on how to make the railroad run better. He carried this attitude with him during his later service as the President of Amtrak.
U.S. Government service
Claytor served as the Secretary of the Navy under President Jimmy Carter from 1977[1] to 1979. [citation needed] He is credited with leading the United States Navy into its first recognition of women's right to serve on ships and of rights of gays to leave the service without criminal records. [citation needed] His positions were considered by activists to be progressive for the time, leading to further progress years later in these controversial issues.
In 1979, he was appointed to the position of Deputy Secretary of Defense. [citation needed] While serving as Deputy Defense Secretary, Claytor's military assistant was General Colin Powell. [citation needed]
In the summer of 1979, he took a brief leave from the Defense Department to serve as Acting Secretary of Transportation in Carter's Cabinet. His service at the Transportation Department bridged the tenures of Secretary Brock Adams and Secretary Neil Goldschmidt.
Amtrak
In 1982, Claytor came out of retirement to lead Amtrak. He was recruited and strongly supported by John H. Riley, an attorney who was also the head of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) under the Reagan Administration from 1983 to 1989. Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole also tacitly supported Amtrak during Claytor's time there.
Claytor maintained a good relationship with the U.S. Congress during his 11 years in the position. According to an article in Fortune magazine, within 7 years of being in the control of Claytor, Amtrak was generation enough money to cover 72% of it's $1.7 billion operating budget by 1989, up from 48% in 1981 [1]. This was achieved mainly through vigorous cost cutting and aggressive marketing. He is credited with bringing political and operational stability to the nation's passenger train network, keeping the railroad functioning properly despite repeated attempts by the administrations of Reagan and his successor George H.W. Bush to "zero-out" its funding.
Claytor retired from Amtrak in 1993.
Legacy and heritage
W. Graham Claytor Jr. was named the Virginian of the Year in 1977.[2] In 1989, he was named Railroader of the Year by Railway Age magazine.[3]
He was the brother of Robert B. Claytor, who became president of Norfolk and Western Railway in 1981 and was the first chairman and CEO of Norfolk Southern after it was formed by merger with the Southern Railway System in 1982. [citation needed] Robert B. Claytor is best remembered by many railfans for reactivating Norfolk and Western's steam program, which rebuilt steam locomotives J-611 and A-1218 at the Roanoke Shops at Roanoke, Virginia, and operated excursion trips. W. Graham Claytor Jr. would occasionally take the helm as engineer with his brother on the steam excursions. [citation needed]
W. Graham Claytor Jr. died in 1994. [citation needed]
At Amtrak's Washington, DC Union Station a passenger concourse was renamed "Claytor Concourse" in his honor. [citation needed]
"The Claytor Brothers: Virginians Building America's Railroad" is a semi-permanent exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia. [citation needed]
See also
References
- White, John H. Jr. (Spring 1986). "America's Most Noteworthy Railroaders". Railroad History. 154: 9–15. ISSN 0090-7847. JSTOR 43523785. OCLC 1785797.
- quotes from article by journalist Don Phillips of the Washington Post in a "Tribute to W. Graham Claytor, Jr." published May, 1994
- Survivors Groups official website for the U.S.S. Indianapolis
- Wrinn, Jim, Steam's Camelot: Southern and Norfolk Southern Excursions in Color (2000)
- ^ Shutt, Anne (1982-06-11). "In Short…". Christian Science Monitor. Boston, Massachusetts: First Church of Christ, Scientist. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
- ^ "VPA's Virginian of the Year". Virginia Press Association. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Hunter Harrison presented Railroader of the Year Award - Rail Update - executive vice president and chief operating officer of Canadian National/Illinois Central - Brief Article". Railway Age. 2002. Retrieved 2007-01-13.
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