Earl James McGrath; Education Commissioner From 1949 to 1954

Earl James McGrath, 90, U.S. commissioner of education under President Harry S. Truman and President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., McGrath earned degrees at the University of Buffalo and the University of Chicago. He was appointed to the top national education post by Truman in 1949 and resigned under Eisenhower in 1954 over cuts in the education budget. He later worked for the Institute of Higher Education at Columbia Teachers College, Eisenhower College, Temple University and the University of Arizona. On Jan. 14 in Tucson.