Stewart L. Udall
Finalist for the 2018 Evans Biography Award
As a three-term member of Congress and as the secretary of the interior in the Kennedy and Johnson cabinets (1961-1969), Stewart L. Udall (1920-2010) was a distinguished public servant and one of the great environmental leaders in US history. This book, the first biography of Udall, introduces his work to a new generation of Americans concerned with the environment. The author traces the influences on Udall's career, the evolution of his views on conservation, and his setbacks as well as his triumphs.
In addition to his efforts to preserve wilderness areas and protect the planet, Udall advocated reforming the seniority system in Congress, limiting the production and testing of nuclear weapons, promoting coexistence with the Soviet Union, and helping oppressed peoples in emerging nations. A visionary leader, Udall was inspired by his pioneering Mormon forebears who helped settle the Arizona high plateau, where he first connected with the natural world.
Skillfully weaving personal correspondence, congressional machinations, and Udall's private writings, Smith achieves more than a straightforward political biography. He captures Stewart Udall's fascinating interior world without losing sight of the many initiatives he pursued.'--The Journal of Arizona History
Smith's greatest achievement in this book is his portrayal of Udall as a key figure in a pivotal period in American conservation history. . . . Smith's biography is certainly timely in its focus on the critically important but relatively low national profile of the office of Secretary of the Interior and on one of its most consequential leaders.'--National Parks Traveler
Thomas G. Smith is a professor emeritus of history at Nichols College, where he served as the Robert Stansky Distinguished Professor. He is the author of Green Republican: John Saylor and the Preservation of America’s Wilderness and Showdown: JFK and the Integration of the Washington Redskins.
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter One. Mormon Forebears
Chapter Two. Son of the High Plateau
Chapter Three. Mormon Mission
Chapter Four. Wartime Mission
Chapter Five. Tucson
Chapter Six. Storm Warning for Reclamation
Chapter Seven. House Reformer
Chapter Eight. Secretary of the Interior
Chapter Nine. Kennedy, Conservation, and Khrushchev
Chapter Ten. Disgruntled New Frontiersman
Chapter Eleven. A Ringside Seat at LBJ's Round Table
Chapter Twelve. Beauty and the Beast
Chapter Thirteen. The CAP and the Grand Canyon Controversy
Chapter Fourteen. Vietnam: Waist Deep in the Big Muddy
Chapter Fifteen. Parting Gifts, Parting Ways
Chapter Sixteen. Consultant and Presidential Campaign Manager
Chapter Seventeen. Advocate for American Atomic Victims
Chapter Eighteen. Final Days in Santa Fe
Notes
Bibliography
Index
