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W. Graham Claytor Jr.

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W. Graham Claytor Jr.
President and CEO ofAmtrak
In office
1982–1993
Preceded byAlan S. Boyd
Succeeded byThomas Downs
18thUnited States Deputy Secretary of Defense
In office
August 21, 1979 – January 16, 1981
PresidentJimmy Carter
Preceded byCharles Duncan Jr.
Succeeded byFrank Carlucci
63rdUnited States Secretary of the Navy
In office
February 14, 1977 – August 24, 1979
PresidentJimmy Carter
Preceded byJ. William Middendorf
Succeeded byEdward Hidalgo
Personal details
Born
William Graham Claytor Jr.

(1912-03-14)March 14, 1912
Roanoke, Virginia,U.S.
DiedMay 14, 1994(1994-05-14)(aged 82)
Bradenton, Florida,U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseFrances Claytor
EducationUniversity of Virginia(BA)
Harvard University(LLB)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1941–1946
RankLieutenant Commander
Battles/warsWorld War II

William Graham Claytor Jr.(March 14, 1912 – May 14, 1994) was an Americanattorney,United States Navyofficer, andrailroad,transportation and defense administrator for theUnited Statesgovernment, working under the administrations of three US presidents.

He is remembered for his actions as the commanding officer of thedestroyer escortUSSCecil J. DoyleduringWorld War II,which helped to save 316 lives during theUSSIndianapolistragedy. Over 30 years later, Claytor's moderate actions on behalf of the rights offemaleandgayservice personnel asSecretary of the Navywere considered progressive for the time. He is also credited with a distinguished transportation career, including ten years as president of theSouthern Railwayand 11 years as the head ofAmtrak,guiding the passenger railroad through a particularly difficult period in its history. He was named the Virginian of the Year in 1977.[1]

Early life and career

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Claytor was born inRoanoke, Virginiaon March 14, 1912, and grew up in bothVirginiaandPhiladelphia.He was the son ofGertrude Harris Boatwright Claytor,a lyric poet, andW. Graham Claytor(1886–1971), who was vice-president ofAppalachian Power.

Claytor graduated from theUniversity of VirginiainCharlottesville, Virginiain 1933. He then graduated fromHarvard Law Schoolsumma cum laudein 1936. He then clerked forLearned Hand,Judge of theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.He then moved toWashington, D.C.,to become law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Associate JusticeLouis Brandeisbefore joining the prestigiousWashingtonlaw firmCovington and Burling.

Career

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World War II — USSIndianapolistragedy

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In 1940, soon after the start ofWorld War II,28-year-old Claytor attempted to enlist, but was initially rejected by theUnited States Navyas being too old.[citation needed]He finally joined under a special provision, based upon his previous experience in sports boating. He was assigned to thePacific Theater.

Late in the war, Claytor became commanding officer of the destroyer escortUSSCecil J. Doyleon patrol in thePacific Ocean.[2]In August 1945, Claytor sped without orders[citation needed]to investigate reports of men floating in the water. AsCecil J. Doyleapproached 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.[2]These actions facilitated the rescue of the survivors of the sunkencruiserUSSIndianapolis.[2]

Indianapolishad 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. While only 316 were rescued out of a crew of 1199 who were aboardIndianapolis,Claytor's actions were widely credited by survivors with preventing an even greater loss of life.[citation needed]

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See also:Southern Railway (US)

After World War II, he resumed practice of law in Washington, D.C. He became an officer of theSouthern Railwayin 1963, serving as president from 1967 to 1977. 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. William Brosnan,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

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See also:Secretary of the Navy

Claytor served as theSecretary of the Navyunder PresidentJimmy Carterfrom 1977[3]to 1979.[citation needed]He is credited with leading theUnited States Navyinto its first recognition ofwomen's right to serve on shipsand ofrights of gaysto 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 ofDeputy Secretary of Defense.[citation needed]GeneralColin Powellserved as his military assistant.[citation needed]

In the summer of 1979, he took a brief leave from theDefense Departmentto serve asActing Secretary of Transportationin President Carter's Cabinet. His service at the Transportation Department bridged the tenures of SecretaryBrock Adamsand SecretaryNeil Goldschmidt.

Amtrak

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See also:Amtrak

In 1982, Claytor came out of retirement to leadAmtrak.He was recruited and strongly supported byJohn H. Riley,an attorney who was also the head of theFederal Railroad Administration(FRA) under theReagan Administrationfrom 1983 to 1989.

Claytor maintained a good relationship with theU.S. Congressduring his 11 years in the position. Within 7 years of being under Claytor's leadership, Amtrak was generating enough money to cover 72 percent of its $1.7 billion operating budget by 1989, up from 48 percent in 1981.[4]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 Ronald Reagan and his successorGeorge H. W. Bushto eliminate its funding.

Claytor retired from Amtrak in 1993.

Legacy and heritage

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Claytor was named the Virginian of the Year in 1977.[1]In 1989, he was namedRailroader of the YearbyRailway Agemagazine.[5]

He was the brother ofRobert B. Claytor,who became president ofNorfolk and Western Railwayin 1981 and was the first chairman and CEO ofNorfolk Southernafter it was formed by merger with the Southern Railway System in 1982.[citation needed]Robert B. Claytor is best remembered by many railfans for reactivatingNorfolk and Western Railway's steam program, which rebuiltsteam locomotivesClass J611andClass A 1218at theRoanoke ShopsatRoanoke, Virginia,and operated excursion trips. Claytor Jr. would occasionally take the throttle as engineer with his brother on the steam excursions.[citation needed]

Claytor died on May 14, 1994.[6]

At Amtrak'sWashington, DCUnion Stationa passenger concourse was renamed "Claytor Concourse" in his honor.[6]

"The Claytor Brothers: Virginians Building America's Railroad" is a semi-permanent exhibit at theVirginia Museum of TransportationinRoanoke, Virginia.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"VPA's Virginian of the Year".Virginia Press Association. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-09-30.Retrieved2007-08-13.
  2. ^abcMarks (April 1981), pp. 48–50.
  3. ^Shutt, Anne (1982-06-11)."In Short…".Christian Science Monitor.Boston, Massachusetts:First Church of Christ, Scientist.Retrieved2008-06-12.
  4. ^Alpert, Mark (1989-10-23)."Still Chugging".Fortune.Retrieved2011-05-30.
  5. ^"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.April 2002.Retrieved2007-01-13.
  6. ^abLyons, Richard D. (1994-05-15)."W. Graham Claytor, Architect Of Amtrak Growth, Dies at 82".New York Times.Retrieved30 May2011.
  7. ^"The Claytor Brothers—Virginians Building America's Railroad".Exhibits.Virginia Museum of Transportation.RetrievedSeptember 5,2018.
[edit]
Business positions
Preceded by President ofSouthern Railway
1967–1977 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President ofAmtrak
1982–1993 		Succeeded by
Thomas Downs
Government offices
Preceded by United States Secretary of the Navy
February 14, 1977 – August 24, 1979 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
1979–1981 		Succeeded by
Awards
Preceded by Modern Railways magazine's
Man of the Year
1989 		Succeeded by
  1. ^L. Stanley Crane, elected in 1978 as a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering
  2. ^L. Stanley Crane(born inCincinnati,1915) raised in Washington, lived inMcLeanbefore moving toPhiladelphiain 1981. He began his career withSouthern Railwayafter graduating fromThe George Washington Universitywith achemical engineeringdegree in 1938. He worked for the railroad, except for a stint from 1959 to 1961 with thePennsylvania Railroad,until reaching the company's mandatory retirement age in 1980.Cranewent toConrailin 1981 after a distinguished career that had seen him rise to the position of CEO at the Southern Railway. He died of pneumonia on July 15, 2003 at a hospice inBoynton Beach,Fla.
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