Papers of Mary Elizabeth Switzer, 1922-1973

The Mary Elizabeth Switzer Papers are divided into three series. Consisting mostly of Switzer's office files, her papers reveal very little either about her role in the making of administrative policy decisions or about her personal or family life. Files from her early work with the Federal Security Agency are more informative than the bulk of the collection, which documents Switzer's public relations function as the Director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation at the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Series III, which documents Switzer's membership on the Board of Directors of the Menninger Foundation, is probably the most illuminating portion of the collection. For the most part, the papers have been left in their original file units and, while they have been rearranged, original headings have been retained.

Series I, Biographical, 1922-1973. This series consists mainly of biographical information, job descriptions, and tributes to Switzer.

Series II, United States Government Administrator, 1922-1970. This series chronicles Switzer's career in various federal agencies, including the Public Health Service, and as Director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (later the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration) which moved from the Treasury to the newly-established Department of Health, Education and Welfare in 1953. The bulk of these papers reflects her directorship of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (1950-1961) and her position as Commissioner of the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration (1961-1967), and as Administrator of the Social and Rehabilitation Service (1967-1970). Papers have been divided into subseries by type of record, reflecting the divisions of Switzer's office files.

A. The Administrative file, 1933-1969, arranged chronologically, consists of official papers from the agencies and offices for which Switzer worked. Department organizational papers and official correspondence between Switzer and the officials of the Public Health Service, the Federal Security Agency, and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare and other departments document the evolution of HEW through a series of reorganizations, as well as Switzer's activities and responsibilities over a period of 36 years. This subseries offers some insight into Switzer's role in the development of Government policies and programs, especially in health care, but many of the papers are routine.

B. Office files, 1936-1967, arranged chronologically, contain reports, memoranda, and routine inter-office correspondence concerning Switzer's specific responsibilities within the various agencies for which she worked. The materials highlight Switzer's diverse activities but there is little information on her contributions to decision-making.

C. Committees, 1935-1969, arranged chronologically, documents Switzer's participation on numerous government and government-related committees. Materials on the Interdepartmental Committee on Science Research and Development and the Health Advisory Committee are fairly complete, but the remainder of the series is less informative, particularly in describing Switzer's role.

D. Conferences and Meetings, 1939-1969, arranged chronologically, provides some insight into Switzer's extensive speaking and public relations activities on behalf of vocational rehabilitation, as well as into her professional affiliations and interests. Most of these activities took place in the United States, but several European conferences are documented, including some at which Switzer served as a United States Government delegate. Many of these files contain agendas, her speeches, and information prepared by her staff. Such routine material as travel brochures and hotel receipts has been removed.

E. Subject file, 1933-1970, arranged chronologically, has been slightly rearranged but is otherwise intact from Switzer's office files. Although most headings are health-related, it is not clear to what extent Switzer was involved with actual policy decisions in these areas, and which documents she kept simply for her own information.

F. Correspondence, arranged alphabetically, covers Switzer's entire career with the Federal Government (1922-1970), though the bulk of these papers falls between 1951 and 1967. There are occasional references to personal and family matters, but most is Switzer's professional correspondence. Bulk alphabetical file units are followed by those representing individuals and organizations.

G. Travel, 1951-1968, arranged chronologically, consists of correspondence, reports and agendas, mainly from Switzer's trips to European countries, usually combining a vacation with attendance at an international conference.

H. Public Relations, 1930-1971, includes six sections, each arranged chronologically: speeches, articles, awards, news-clippings, photographs, and sound recordings. Drafts of speeches, and correspondence concerning them, probably reflect only a small portion of the speeches delivered by Switzer. Many speeches were published and appear in the next section. Articles have been divided into those by and about Switzer. The former are filed first in chronological groupings. Articles about which Switzer corresponded were filed individually, usually with the article itself included.

This order has been retained in both the articles by and those about Switzer. Awards contains a presumably complete listing, as well as an incomplete file of the actual awards. Newsclippings about Switzer, covering the years 1939-1970, have been microfilmed (M-53) and discarded. Few substantial interviews are included, most are publicity coverage, as are the photographs, ca. 1930-1971, which include portraits and group photographs documenting Switzer's work for the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Audiotapes include recordings of speeches, travel letters, and lectures.

Series III, Non-Federal Agencies and Organizations, 1938-1970. This series, arranged alphabetically by name of agency, contains correspondence, memoranda, minutes and reports of agencies and organizations in which Switzer had a decision-making role: as a board of foundation member or as president. Also included here are papers from conferences and meetings Switzer attended as an official, while those for other years are in Series IID. Of particular interest is the correspondence of Switzer with Doctors Karl and William Menninger concerning her membership on the Board of Governors of the Menninger Foundation. Both her role and the development of the Menninger Clinic are fully discussed. The remainder of the series is less illuminating and probably does not reflect the extent of Switzer's work with these agencies and organizations.