Ernest D. Acker Papers

The Acker collection contains correspondence, newsclippings, medical records, service records and related materials, manuscripts and notes, Republican mailing lists and related materials, petitions and appeals, personal reference letters, photographs, disabled veteran materials, Roosevelt speeches, certificates of gratitude, materials related to atheism, sales brochures regarding invention protection, a canceled check from Reader's Digest, resumes, household bills, legal documents, survey maps, Veteran's Administration (VA) papers, and business and financial papers.

Many of the papers in this collection were created by Acker in his attempt to secure a service related disability pension. His papers also reflect his life long interest in the fight for veterans rights and in the struggle to change commitment procedures and to improve both treatment and facilities for the mentally ill. Acker's manuscripts were based on his life experiences including an unhappy childhood, commitment to a mental institution, and an attempt to break his father's will. The papers in this collection date from 1934 to 1983.