Stewart Udall was a three-term Congressman from Arizona and later served as Secretary of the Interior under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. In the span of a few years, Stewart Udall and other conservation leaders significantly deepened our national commitment to the lands and waters that sustain us. “Stewart was the Western lion who roared when he read “top secret” government memos that referred to the people living downwind of the Nevada Test Site as “a low-use segment of the population”, said Matheson. He was, by all accounts, one of the most significant Interior Secretaries in American history, sharing that status with Harold Ickes, Secretary in the FDR administrations. The photographs are on loan from the Udall Foundation. The photo is of Secretary Udall with President Kennedy Canyonlands was just one part of Secretary Udall's legacy. In 1954 Stewart Udall was elected as a Democrat to the House of Representatives for Arizona's Second District. Udall’s conservation vision is already part of Biden’s plan. Stewart L. Udall January 31, 1920 – March 20, 2010 Stewart Udall, son of the West, enthusiastic and devoted conservationist, as Secretary of the Interior under President John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. The president-elect has committed to signing a Day One executive order to conserve 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030 ― a target in line with the United Nations’ plan for protecting biodiversity. No doubt that familial history helped guide Stewart Udall's hand, both during his congressional tenure and his years as Interior secretary for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. "We also appreciated the fact that he was not a secretary isolated in his D.C. office. 4. Stewart was vice-chairman for the Democratic Party's central committee. "He was not a stranger in parks. Manuscript and published drafts of speeches, addresses and public statements made by Stewart Udall during his career from 1954-1975. All comments on this blog reflect only the views of the author. And under Secretary Udall it became one -- Canyonlands National Park. In 1960 President Kennedy appointed Stewart Udall Secretary of Interior, where his accomplishments during eight years under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson earned him a special place among those ever to serve in that post and have made him an icon in the environmental and conservation communities. Stewart Udall. Stewart L. Udall represented Arizona’s second district in the U.S. Congress from 1954 until 1961, when President John F Kennedy appointed him Secretary of the Interior. Greek was not without significant flaws as a scholar, he was a pathfinder as well as a superb narrator. Previously, he served in three presidential administrations, most recently as a Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Education. One aspect of Stewart Udall's legacy was his relentless support as a lawyer representing those affected by exposure to radioactive fallout from atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons during the 1950's and early 1960's and Navajos who worked in uranium mines and who later contracted lung cancer. (1951-1969) managed vast increases in the National Park system and in the public domain. It left a giddy impression that conservation of energy and other natural resources would not be necessary. In the United States, it fostered sky-is-the-limit expectations. Joining him were two other conservation giants from the area, Ken Frost (to Udall's right), and Ken Sleight. One of Udall’s key conservation successes during his time as Interior chief was the preservation of the Grand Canyon. The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not represent those of any institution. ", Beautiful tribute. Eventbrite - Our Daily Planet presents A Campaign for Nature: How Stewart Udall's Legacy Can Help Us Solve the Conservation Crisis - Friday, February 7, 2020 at National Press Club, Washington, DC. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Stewart Udall's letter to his grandchildren - My generation’s mistakes, your generation’s epic challenge, is required reading. Under his leadership, the Interior Department aggressively promoted an expansion of federal public lands and assisted with the enactment of major environmental legislation. Udall served as Secretary of the Interior from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. National Parks Traveler 2019-2020 Annual Report, 2nd Annual Threatened And Endangered Parks, John Kennedy, Stewart Udall, and New Frontier Conservation, Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, My generation’s mistakes, your generation’s epic challenge, Traveler's View: Biden Administration Should Block Big Cypress Oil Drilling, Senate Confirms Haaland As Interior Secretary In Largely Partisan Vote, UPDATED: Yellowstone Forever Being Reborn, Dozens Of Conservation Groups Oppose eBikes On Non-Motorized Trails. We worked with horses all the time. As a young boy Stewart worked on the family farm in St. Johns. One of the most aggressive Interior secretaries of recent decades when it came to conserving landscapes as parks, monuments, wildlife refuges, national seashores, and wild and scenic rivers, Mr. Udall presided over a vibrant chapter of U.S. conservation during the 1960s. In keeping with the spirit of this historian, the blog looks at people, places and events which provide insight into the human experience. In approaching that mission, Secretary Udall corralled bipartisan support in Washington, something unheard of today. Theater in Washington, D.C., after an absence of more than a century. Many of us remember seeing him in the parks in which we worked. “This was the land and the people that he loved. Stewart Udall served as Secretary of the Interior from 1961 to 1969, leading advocacy and politics of conservation and environmental protection in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.