Last updated: August 27, 2026
Article
Guide to the John C. Raftery Papers
This finding aid describes the John C. Raftery Papers, part of the NPS History Collection. To search this guide for names, places, key words, or phrases enter Ctrl F on your keyboard (command key + F key on a Mac). Request an in-person research appointment or get more information by contacting the archivist.
Collection Overview
Collection Number: HFCA 3650Accession Number: HFCA-02158
Creator: Raftery, John Cornwell (1924-1982)
Title: John C. Raftery Papers
Dates: 1953-1981
Extent: 0.6 LF
Language of Materials: English
Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized.
Conditions Governing Access: This collection is open to research use.
Conditions Governing Use: Some of the reports and other reference materials in this collection were not produced by the NPS. See https://rightsstatements.org/page/CNE/1.0/?language=en. See also the NPS general archives copyright & restrictions information.
Provenance: This collection was found in the NPS History Collection.
Processing Note: This collection was processed by Mikaela Wilson in June 2026.
Rights Statements for Archival Description: This guide is in the public domain.
Preferred Citation: John C. Raftery Papers (HFCA 3650), NPS History Collection
Location of Repository: NPS History Collection, Harpers Ferry Center, PO Box 50, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
Related Materials:
- Assembled Historic Records of the NPS (HFCA 1645), NPS History Collection
- NPS Oral History Collection (HFCA 1817), NPS History Collection
- Papers Related to Conrad L. Wirth (HFCA 1645), NPS History Collection
Biographical Note
John Cornwell Raftery was born February 8, 1924, in Eckman, North Dakota. He attended Maxbass High School in Maxbass, North Dakota. He enlisted in the US Marine Corps during World War II, rising to the rank of captain. Raftery attended Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts’ School of Forestry in 1949.Raftery began his National Park Service (NPS) career as a park ranger at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (SEKI) in 1950. He married Helga Isakson in 1954. In 1955 Raftery became a district park ranger at the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park (HAVO). After two years, he relocated to Crater Lake National Park (CRLA) to work as an assistant chief park ranger. In October 1957 Raftery took part in the Ninth Departmental Training Program as a management trainee at the Washington Support Office (WASO) along with five other individuals. In 1960 he became assistant chief park ranger at Big Bend National Park (BIBE). In 1962 Raftery took the position of chief park ranger at Isle Royale National Park (ISRO).
In 1966 Raftery was hired as assistant supervisor of the Horace M. Albright Training Center (HOAL), a new NPS employee training center established at Grand Canyon National Park (GRCA). In 1968 Raftery became the superintendent of Everglades National Park (EVER), where he stayed for two years before returning to SEKI for the superintendent position in 1970. President Nixon’s 1969 Executive Order 11491, which expanded employee rights, created the Federal Labor Relations Council and the Federal Service Impasses Panel. As a result, in 1972 Raftery attended several classes at the HOAL about unions and proper labor procedures. He remained informed through memos, classes, and official paperwork about the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), an affiliate of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), and their attempted unionization of federal employees.
In 1974 Raftery moved to Boston to become associate regional director for Cooperative Activities for the NPS North Atlantic Regional Office (NARO). In this position, Raftery directed historic and natural landmark programs and prepared environmental impact statements. He became assistant to the regional director before taking on the role of chief of concession management in 1980. He was also a representative for the NPS Employee and Alumni Association (E&AA).
Raftery died on July 10, 1982, at the age of 58, while still working for the NPS.
Sources:
Assembled Historic Records of the NPS (HFCA 1645), NPS History Collection.John C. Raftery Papers (HFCA 3650), NPS History Collection.“Deaths,” Courier volume 5 (1982): 1-6. https://npshistory.com/newsletters/courier/courier-september1982.pdf.
National Park Service. Horace M. Albright Training Center Program. Department of the Interior. Accessed June 2026. https://npshistory.com/publications/hoal/albright-training-center.pdf.
“Obituary, John (Jack) Raftery.” FamilySearch. Accessed June 2026. https://www.familysearch.org/en/memories/memory/39043256.
U.S. Federal Labor Relations Authority. “50th Anniversary: Executive Order 10988.” January 2012. Accessed June 2026. https://www.flra.gov/50th_Anniversary_EO10988.
Scope and Content Note
John C. Raftery’s working files including handbooks, copies of official correspondence, annual reports, articles and other publications, Department of the Interior (DOI) press releases, training materials, photographs, and notes. Subjects include park protocols, unions and labor relations, training, professional and managerial development, and environmental awareness. Parks and locations discussed include NARO, SEKI, Springfield Armory National Historic Site (SPAR), BIBE, YOSE, and HOAL. Publications include NPS brochures and informational pamphlets, journal articles, and the booklet Wild Rivers. Photographs include group images of NPS professionals from interagency training programs and HOAL. Of note is “A Guide to Supervisory Development” prepared by NPS training officer Frank Kowski in 1953. Notable individuals mentioned within the papers include Julius Eitington, Conrad L. Wirth, and Charles Richey.Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject.Container List
BOX 01Folder 01: BIBE Office Procedures Handbook, 1966
Folder 02: Correspondence, 1955-1976
Folder 03: Correspondence: Environmental Awareness Program, 1970
Folder 04: DOI Press Releases, 1966, 1967
Folder 05: Labor Relations and Unions, 1971-1973, undated [1 of 2]
Folder 06: Labor Relations and Unions, 1971-1973, undated [2 of 2]
Folder 07: NARO: Activity Sheets and Schedules, 1980
Folder 08: NARO: Annual Reports, 1978, 1981
Folder 09: Publications, 1951-1971, undated
Folder 10: SEKI and YOSE Research Review Meeting, 1974, undated
Folder 11: SPAR Museum Collection Inventory, 1978
Folder 12: Training: Guide to Supervisory Development, 1953
BOX 02
Folder 01: Training: HOAL, 1965-1968
Folder 02: Training: HOAL Notebook, 1966-1969, undated
Folder 03: Training: Interagency Training Programs, 1962, undated
Folder 04: Training: Ninth Departmental Management Training Program, 1957-1959