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Guide to the Papers Related to Arno B. Cammerer

This finding aid describes the Papers Related to Arno B. Cammerer, 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.

Arno B. Cammerer
Arno B. Cammerer (NPS History Collection, HFCA 1607)

Collection Overview

Collection Number: HFCA 1645 (Series I.A.3)
Creator: Cammerer, Arno B. (1883-1941)
Title: Papers Related to Arno B. Cammerer
Dates: 1919-1982 (bulk dates: 1931-1941)
Extent: 0.8 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 and Reproduction: Some of the reports and other reference materials in this collection were not produced by the NPS and may not be in the public domain. See https://rightsstatements.org/page/CNE/1.0/?language=en. See also the NPS general copyright & restrictions information.

Provenance: This collection was assembled from materials received from various NPS units and found in the NPS History Collection.
Processing Note: This collection was processed by Emily L. Richardson in 2017. The finding aid was updated for the internet by Eleanore Kohorn in January 2025.

Rights Statements for Archival Description: This guide is in the public domain.
Preferred Citation: Papers Related to Arno B. Cammerer, NPS History Collection (HFCA 1645)
Location of Repository: NPS History Collection, Harpers Ferry Center, PO Box 50, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

Related Materials:

Biographical Note

Arno B. Cammerer was born in Arapahoe, Nebraska in 1883. He was the son of Lutheran pastor. Due to the family’s financial situation, he left high school after his junior year. He moved to Washington, DC, took the Civil Service exam, and became a clerk for the Treasury Department in 1904. Taking night classes, he finished high school and continued his education by enrolling at Georgetown University Law School where he received his Bachelor of Law degree in 1911.

In 1916 he began working at the National Commission of Fine Arts. In 1919 Cammerer, known affectionately as “Cam” in the NPS, became assistant director when Horace M. Albright became superintendent at Yellowstone National Park and assistant director for field operations. As assistant director Cammerer served as Mather's right-hand man in Washington and acted as director during Mather’s frequent absences over the next decade.

He advanced to the new rank of associate director in 1928, then succeeded Albright as director in August 1933. Under his leadership, the NPS became involved with recreational area planning and management, supervised the Civilian Conservation Corps in both national and state parks, and began to survey and record historic sites and buildings outside the National Park System. Strained relations with Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes impaired his effectiveness and health, and he stepped down after a heart attack in 1940 to become the NPS eastern regional director. He died the following year aged 57.

Sources

--. 1941, May. “Arno B. Cammerer, Director of the National Park Service,” New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1941/05/01/archives/arno-b-gammers-headed-u-s-parks-director-of-national-service-193340.html

--. 2024, June. “Arno Cammerer, Unsung Hero of The National Park Service.” Accessed January 22, 2026 at https://www.atmuseum.org/news/arno-cammerer-unsung-hero-of-the-national-park-service

Scope and Content Note

Cammerer's personal copies of three NPS Director's Annual Reports to the Secretary of the Interior, as well as Annual Reports of the Secretary of the Interior. Correspondence related to Cammerer’s fourth anniversary as director, a copy of a speech given at Fort Harrison, and newspaper clippings related to his resignation and death are also included.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Container List

BOX 01
Folder 01: Annual Report of the Director of the NPS to the Secretary of the Interior, 1919
Folder 02: Annual Report of the Director of the NPS to the Secretary of the Interior, 1931
Folder 03: Annual Report of the Secretary of the Interior, 1936
Folder 04: Annual Report of the Secretary of the Interior, 1937
Folder 05: Annual Report of the Secretary of the Interior, 1938
Folder 06: Annual Report of the Secretary of the Interior, 1939

BOX 02
Folder 01: Correspondence, 1937
Folder 02: Courier and Alumni News Clippings, 1976-1982
Folder 03: Obituaries, 1941
Folder 04: Resignation, 1940
Folder 05: Speeches and Addresses, 1934-1941
Folder 06: Statements, undated

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Last updated: January 27, 2026