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Retirement phortrait of Ernest Maxey [1983]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Coast Guard
  • Location of Service: Atlantic Ocean
  • Highest Rank: Commander
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/4350

View full service history

"I enlisted as E-1, which is the lowest rank in the military. I rose through the ranks over a period of 35 accountable years to the rank of commander. I made every rank from E-1 to 0-5. I didn't skip any." (Audio interview, 1:04)

In search of adventure, Ernest Maxey volunteered for the Coast Guard in1942. After finishing in the top 10 percent of his class in signalman school, he worked at a lighthouse, on a troop transport ship, and at the Seamen's Institute. Discharged in 1945, he returned to the Coast Guard Reserves in 1950, and moved up through the ranks until he was promoted to commander before his retirement in 1983. Maxey faced continuous discrimination throughout his career; based on his experiences, the Coast Guard reviewed and changed several of its civil rights policies. After his retirement from the Coast Guard Reserve, Maxey broke another barrier by becoming the first African-American detective for the Chicago Hyde Park Police department.

Ernest T. Maxey Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript

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About this Item

Title

  • Ernest T. Maxey Collection

Names

  • George, Ellen L.
  • VA Medical Center, Chicago Health Care Systems
  • Maxey, Ernest T.
  • James, Marie L.

Home State

  • Illinois

Headings

  • -  Maxey, Ernest T.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Coast Guard.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Coast Guard
    • Location of Service: Atlantic Ocean
    • Highest Rank: Commander
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1983
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Clippings [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Audio: Microcassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2003-02-25)
  • Photograph: Copy photographic print [1 item] -- Portrait (collected 1983-10)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 2003-02-25; 2009-01-17)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 2009-01-15)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2003-02-25; 2007-12-03)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/4350

Cite as

  • Ernest T. Maxey Collection (AFC/2001/001/4350), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • image
  • online text

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Wars & Conflicts

Service Branch

Location of Service

Highest Rank

Discharge Status

Gender

Race

Home State

Interviewee

Interviewer

Organization/Affiliation

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

George, Ellen L, Chicago Health Care Systems Va Medical Center, Ernest T Maxey, and Marie L James. Ernest T. Maxey Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.04350/.

APA citation style:

George, E. L., Va Medical Center, C. H. C. S., Maxey, E. T. & James, M. L. (1942) Ernest T. Maxey Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.04350/.

MLA citation style:

George, Ellen L, et al. Ernest T. Maxey Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.04350/>.