Ernest Graham was Daniel Burnham’s principal assistant in overseeing construction of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and later helped D. H. Burnham & Co. achieve national prominence. Following Burnham’s death in 1912, Graham carried on Burnham’s architectural practice, first as Graham Burnham & Co. and, after 1917, as Graham, Anderson, Probst & White.

Under Graham’s leadership this practice became one of the largest and most prestigious in the United States. The firm was responsible for designing scores of major structures—railroad stations, banks, office buildings,museums, department stores, theatres, and post offices—for important clients in major cities across the country