The University of Iowa Libraries

Access: This collection is open for research.

Use: Copyright restrictions may apply; please consult Special Collections staff for further information.

Acquisition: These papers were donated to the University of Iowa Libraries by Mr. Grahame in 1975.

Preferred Citation: Orville Francis Grahame Papers, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa.

Repository:	University of Iowa Special Collections
Address:	Special Collections Department University of Iowa Libraries Iowa City, IA 52242
Phone:	319-335-5921
Curator:	Greg Prickman
Email:	lib-spec@uiowa.edu
Website:	http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/

Orville Francis Grahame (1904-1989) was born near Palo, Iowa. He attended public schools in Shellsburg and graduated from the University of Iowa in 1925. Grahame then received his law degree from the University of Iowa's College of Law in 1929. He began his legal career in New York City as an officer of the Guardian Life Insurance Company. In 1939, Grahame moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, and took a job with the Paul Revere Life Insurance Company and its parent company Avco Corporation. He served as its vice-president and general council. In the 1940s, Mr. Grahame was an active participant in the writing of Public Law 15, which concerns the regulation of the insurance industry. He served on several of the industry's committees that worked on the legislation.
 
An active Republican, Grahame was involved with the Young Republicans while in New York. In Worcester, Massachusetts, he helped with the Elliot Richardson political campaign. Grahame served on two White House Conferences on Aging. He also was on two study committees of the Massachusetts state legislature, one dealing with public pensions and the other concerned with updating equity insurance investments.

The papers of Orville F. Grahame are arranged in two topical series, Politics and Insurance. The Insurance series is the larger of the two. Series contents are arranged chronologically within an alphabetical sequence. The first series, Politics, contains subject files relating to Grahame's work for the Republican Party and specific candidates. There is correspondence and other material relating to his work for the New York Young Republicans in the 1930s. His work for the Elliot Richardson campaigns for the offices of Attorney General of Massachusetts and Governor of the state is documented with correspondence, campaign worker's materials, and fund raising information. He was also involved in the presidential campaign of Thomas Dewey.

The Insurance series is made up of subject files, speeches, articles, bills, and correspondence. There are eleven folders concerning the Health Insurance Association of America which include legislative committee materials such as correspondence, minutes, and reports. Many of the files relate specifically to insurance issues, policies, and legislation in Massachusetts. Other topics found within this series concern variable annuities, settlement options, the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Insurance Economics Society of America (IESA). Finally, there are two boxes on the White House Conference on Aging, with reports, laws and correspondence

Correspondence is found throughout the papers. There are letters from Bailey Aldrich, Thomas E. Dewey, Guy M. Gillette, Christian Herter, Edward M. Kennedy, Thomas E. Martin, Elliot Richardson, and John Volse.

This collection is indexed under the following subject terms.

Corporate Names:
Health Insurance Association of America
Insurance Economics Society of America
Paul Revere Life Insurance Co.
Republican Party (New York City)
United States. Securities Exchange Commission
White House Conference on Aging (1971 : Washington, D.C.)
Young Republicans of New York

Topics:
Insurance, Health
Insurance, Life
Variable annuities

Geographic Names:
Worcester, Mass.

Genre/Form of Materials:
Speeches

Browse:
Businessmen and Businesses