Guy C. Larcom (1913- ), a Massachusetts native, had attained almost twenty years of experience in government administration when he was appointed first city administrator of Ann Arbor in 1956. A graduate of Medford (Mass.) High School, he graduated from Harvard University in 1933, and subsequently took graduate courses in public administration at Columbia University. Prior to his Ann Arbor appointment, Larcom had filled a variety of administrative positions. During World War II, he was administrator of the Willow Run Housing Program. Later, he served as assistant to the president of the Pennsylvania Economy League, and as consultant to the New Jersey Department of Conservation and Economic Development.
The position of city administrator was a new office created by the passage of the revised Ann Arbor city charter in 1956. Larcom was appointed city administrator by the city council, and he acted as its administrative agent on all city business. Specifically, his responsibilities included directing and supervising the various city departments and offices, preparing budgets for these departments, maintaining a central purchasing office and personnel service for the city, attending council meetings, and advising council and submitting requested reports to council members.
In addition to city responsibilities, Larcom was also a lecturer on state, local and county government at the University of Michigan Journalism Department. He served for a time as trustee of the Michigan Municipal League, and was a member of its Legislative Committee. He was also a delegate to the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG). In 1973, Larcom retired as city administrator and assumed the position of executive director of Ann Arbor Tomorrow, a non-profit downtown betterment group. He retired from this position in 1977.
From the guide to the Guy C. Larcom papers, 1956-1973, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)
