Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434) 560 Drillfield Drive Newman Library, Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 Business Number: 540-231-6308 specref@vt.edu URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu
John M. Jackson, Archivist
Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Identification
Ms.1981.095
Title
W. Graham Claytor Papers 1912-1964
Quantity
3 Cubic Feet, 6 boxes
Creator
Claytor, W. Graham (William Graham), 1886-1971
Language
The materials in the collection are in English.
Abstract
This collection includes business and personal papers of W. Graham Claytor, a 1906 graduate of Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical
College (later Virginia Polytechnic Institute) and an executive overseeing the operations of a number of American Gas and
Electric Company subsidiaries during the 20th century. It includes correspondence, reports, and printed materials relating
to personal financial matters, business operations, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and ham radio.
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University
Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization
form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition
form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with
forms or to submit a completed form.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder],
W. Graham Claytor Papers, Ms1981-095, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Source of Acquisition
The W. Graham Claytor Papers were donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 1981.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the W. Graham Claytor Papers commenced in February 2013 and was completed
in March 2013.
William Graham Claytor, son of Graham and Marion Bell Claytor, was born in Bedford, Virginia on December 20, 1886. More familiarly
known by his middle name, Graham Claytor matriculated at Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (later Virginia Tech)
as an electrical engineering student in 1902. Following his father's death, Claytor left school in his junior year to work
as a student engineer in General Electric's Lynn, Massachusetts testing plant. In 1907, Claytor accepted a position with the
Roanoke Railway and Electric Company as a salesman; in 1908, he was appointed an electrical engineer. That same year, Claytor
married Gertrude Harris Boatwright, a Virginia poet. The couple would have three sons.
Through successive promotions, Claytor had become general superintendent of Roanoke Railway and Electric and the Lynchburg
Traction and Light Company by 1914. His career on temporary hold while serving as a captain in the U.S. Army Quartermaster
Corps from 1918 to 1919, Claytor afterward resumed his previous position and in 1923, was named chief engineer for American
Electric Power Company of Philadelphia. In 1926, Claytor became the company's general manager. The following year, the company
was purchased by American Gas and Electric Company of New York. Claytor was transferred to New York City and appointed vice
president and director of a number of the company's subsidiaries, including Appalachian Electric Power Company, Kentucky and
West Virginia Power Company, West Virginia Power Company, Radford Limestone Corporation, and Franklin Real Estate Company.
As vice president of Appalachian Power, Claytor directed construction of the Appalachian Power Company's dam on the New River
in Pulaski County, Virginia. Completed in 1939, the dam created Claytor Lake, named in his honor. Claytor retired in 1954,
but returned to serve as executive vice president of American Electric Power from 1960. After retiring from American Electric
again in 1962, he continued to serve as president of Richardson-Wayland Electric Corporation (Roanoke, Virginia).
Claytor remained an ardent supporter of his alma mater and in the 1950s served on the board of directors of both the VPI Alumni
Association and the VPI Educational Foundation. Chief among Claytor's other interests was ham radio, a hobby he pursued for
more than 25 years. Following his 1962 retirement, Claytor resided in the cottage he had built on Claytor Lake. Graham Claytor
died in Roanoke February 28, 1971, and was buried in Evergreen Burial Park, Roanoke, Virginia.
This collection contains the business and personal papers of Graham Claytor, a 1906 graduate of Virginia Agricultural and
Mechanical College (later Virginia Polytechnic Institute) and an executive overseeing the operations of a number of American
Gas and Electric Company subsidiaries during the 20th century. Included are such materials as correspondence, printed materials,
financial statements, reports, and photographs.
A large portion of the collection consists of materials relating to routine personal financial matters, including stock holdings,
insurance, bank accounts, and philanthropy. The collection also includes correspondence with politicians, business associates,
company employees, and personal friends, with discussions of business and personal matters often overlapping within a single
letter. Also regarding Claytor's affiliation with American Gas and Electric are files specifically relating to company operations,
speeches made by Claytor, and promotional printed materials.
The single most predominant subject in the collection is Virginia Polytechnic Institute. The materials document Claytor's
contacts with other alumni and his membership in the Virginia Tech Alumni Association - New York Chapter. The focus of the
files, however, is on Claytor's service on the boards of directors of the VPI Alumni Fund and the VPI Educational Foundation.
Of particular interest, perhaps, are materials relating to the establishment of the foundation and fundraising efforts for
Virginia Tech's War Memorial Chapel and Memorial Court.
The collection also contains several files relating to Claytor's interest in ham radio. Included are correspondence with other
ham radio operators, printed materials from dealers and manufacturers, and technical specifications.
The collection essentially retains Claytor's original, alphabetical filing system, though a few items have been moved for
the sake of consistency, and a few files previously labeled "miscellaneous" and housed at the end have been interfiled with
the remainder of the collection. The arrangement retains a quirk in that some materials are filed by subject matter, while
others are filed by correspondent name, apparently depending on which Claytor thought was the more significant at the time.
Correspondence relating to a single subject may therefore be spread among the file entries for a number of individuals.