Harold Ickes

Harold Ickes
Name	Harold Ickes
Caption	Ickes in 1933
Office	32nd United States Secretary of the Interior
President	Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman
Term start	March 4, 1933
Term end	February 15, 1946
Predecessor	Ray Lyman Wilbur
Successor	Julius A. Krug
Office2	Administrator of the Public Works Administration
President2	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Term start2	1933
Term end2	1939
Predecessor2	Office established
Successor2	John M. Carmody
Birth date	15 March 1874
Birth place	Frankstown Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Death date	3 February 1952
Death place	Washington, D.C., U.S.
Party	Republican (before 1932), Democratic (1932–1952)
Spouse	Anna Wilmarth Thompson (m. 1911; died 1935), Jane Dahlman (m. 1938)
Children	2, including Harold M. Ickes
Education	University of Chicago (BA)

Harold Ickes was a prominent American administrator and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Interior for nearly thirteen years, the longest tenure in the position's history. A key figure in the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, he was a principal architect of the New Deal and a fierce advocate for conservation, civil rights, and progressive reform. Known for his acerbic wit, uncompromising integrity, and combative style, he earned the nickname "The Old Curmudgeon" while overseeing massive public works projects and the protection of natural resources.

Early life and education

Born in rural Frankstown Township, Pennsylvania, he moved to Chicago following the death of his mother. He worked his way through the University of Chicago, graduating in 1897, and later attended the University of Chicago Law School though he did not earn a degree. His early career in Chicago involved work as a journalist for the Chicago Record and later as a practicing attorney, where he developed a reputation for taking on progressive causes and fighting political corruption in the Republican organization.

Early political career

Initially a Theodore Roosevelt progressive, he worked for Charles Evans Hughes's 1916 presidential campaign and managed the Illinois campaign for the Progressive Party in 1912. He was deeply involved in reform politics in Chicago, often clashing with the city's powerful Democratic machine. His work with civic organizations like the Chicago NAACP and his support for Hiram Johnson and Robert M. La Follette solidified his standing as an independent, reform-minded Republican before his historic shift to the Democratic Party in 1932 to support Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Secretary of the Interior

Appointed as Secretary of the Interior in 1933, he served under both Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman until 1946. He dramatically expanded the mission of the United States Department of the Interior, transforming it into a powerhouse of conservation and public works. He was instrumental in creating and expanding the National Park Service, adding numerous sites like Olympic National Park and Kings Canyon National Park, and establishing the Fish and Wildlife Service. A staunch defender of public lands, he fought vigorously against the private power industry and championed policies for Native American self-governance and cultural preservation.

New Deal administrator

Concurrently serving as the head of the Public Works Administration (PWA) from 1933 to 1939, he supervised the construction of thousands of infrastructure projects across the nation during the Great Depression. Major PWA achievements included the Triborough Bridge, the Lincoln Tunnel, Grand Coulee Dam, and the construction of countless schools, hospitals, and municipal buildings. His meticulous, sometimes slow, oversight ensured projects were well-built and free of corruption, earning him both praise for integrity and criticism for pace from other New Dealers like Harry Hopkins of the Works Progress Administration.

Later life and death

After resigning in 1946 following a dispute with President Harry S. Truman over the appointment of Edwin W. Pauley as Under Secretary of the Navy, he returned to writing and political commentary. He authored a syndicated newspaper column and continued to be a vocal critic of political figures he deemed reactionary, including certain members of the Republican-controlled 80th United States Congress. He died of a heart attack in Washington, D.C. in 1952 and is interred at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (Ferguson, Missouri)|St. Stephen's Episcopal Church cemetery in Ferguson, Missouri.

Legacy

His legacy is that of a monumental figure in American conservation and progressive government. The Harold L. Ickes Houses, a public housing project in Chicago, and the USNS Harold J. Ickes were named in his honor. He is remembered for his unwavering commitment to civil rights, his pivotal role in shaping the modern United States Department of the Interior, and his fierce, principled defense of the public interest against private monopolies. His son, Harold M. Ickes, became a prominent political advisor to President Bill Clinton.

Category:1874 births Category:1952 deaths Category:United States Secretaries of the Interior Category:New Deal administrators