THOMAS G. CODY PAPERS, (1969) 1972-1976 (1979)

Thomas G. Cody was a former management consultant who served as Executive Director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from May 1972 to April 1974. Following his resignation from the EEOC, Cody became Assistant Secretary for Administration in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in which position he served until November 1976. The Cody Papers consist of fragmentary materials concerning his administrative and management work in both agencies.

The EEOC is an independent government commission created in 1965 to administer Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Principal activities of the Commission include the development and implementation of equal employment opportunity policy and the investigation of complaints of racial, sexual or other forms of employment discrimination in both the public and private sectors. In the position of Executive Director, Cody was responsible for the day-to-day management of the EEOC under the direction of the Commission's Chairman. Disagreements with Commission Chairman John Powell led Cody to announce his resignation in March 1974.

When Cody joined HUD in 1974, the department was under criticism for its management and personnel problems. Cody and his staff were responsible for addressing these problems and providing administrative support for the Secretary, Under Secretary, other Assistant Secretaries, and the department's field operations. Major functional areas of operation included budget, finances and accounting, personnel, contracting, management and organization systems, and computer operations.

The materials from both of Cody's positions are fragmentary. Many items are either publications or near-print items which were widely distributed. Only occasional letters and memoranda appear. Cody apparently left the bulk of his files with the two agencies.

The EEOC materials consist mainly of manuals and reports concerning equal employment laws, staff procedures and guidelines, and summaries of Commission activities. The HUD materials deal primarily with internal administrative matters such as departmental reorganization, implementation of new management and accounting systems, and adoption of automated data processing systems. Questions of housing policy are dealt with only tangentially.

Related Materials (April 1989)
The White House Central Files Subject File contains related materials in categories FG 24 (Department of Housing and Urban Development), FG 109 (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), and HU 2-2 (Equality - Employment).