Stewart Lee Udall (born
January 31, 1920) is a former American
politician.
Early life and career
Born in
St. Johns,
Arizona
, he is the son of Levi Stewart Udall. He was educated at the
University of
Arizona
, and he saw combat as a gunner in the Army Air Corps during the
Italian Campaign of
World War II. Stewart Udall
graduated from the University of Arizona Law School in 1948, and began his own law practice
in Tucson
shortly
thereafter.
Udall
became increasingly active in public service, being elected to the
School Board of Amphitheater Public Schools
(District 10) in Tucson in June
1951. He became the President of Amphitheater School Board
in 1952. Udall also served as
U.S. Representative from
Arizona
from 1955 to 1961
Secretary of the Interior
Udall served as
Secretary of the
Interior under Presidents
John F.
Kennedy and
Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1969, when he
described his nation's ecological attitudes as the "myth of
superabundance".
He lent his support and advice to one of the earliest efforts to
save a complex natural resource, The Great Swamp of New Jersey.
After a
year-long legal battle that pitted local residents against the
powerful New York Port
Authority officials who wished to turn the Great Swamp into a
major regional airport to replace Newark
Airport
with one that could accommodate large jet
aircraft. The
Jersey Jet Site Association was the
first to form in opposition and it was followed closely by the
North American Wildlife Foundation. Between the two
organizations, enough property in the core of the swamp quickly was
purchased, assembled, and donated to the federal government to
qualify for perpetual protection as a park.
The Great Swamp
National Wildlife Refuge
was established by an Act of Congress on November 3, 1960. As
the congressman from Arizona and later as the Secretary of the
Interior, Stewart Udall, championed the efforts of these residents,
whom he described as having mounted the greatest effort ever made
by residents in America to protect a natural habitat.
Later, the effort was mentioned frequently in his discussions of
the environmental issues that needed to be resolved before
irreplaceable resources were lost and the commitment of citizens to
protect them. This federal refuge consists of or almost 12 square
miles (30.4 km²) of varied habitats in the center of a fifty-five
square mile watershed. The Great Swamp is a migration-resting and
feeding area or permanent habitat for more than 244 species of
birds. The major routes of birds migrating along the eastern
portion of the United States follow the corridor that includes the
Great Swamp as a major stopping place for rest and nutrition. Many
species of insects, animals, and birds reside permanently in the
watershed area. Its role in draining the region and absorbing quick
floods for gradual release can be critical during extreme weather
conditions.
Udall was largely responsible for the enactment of environmental
laws in Johnson's
Great Society
legislative agenda, including the Clear Air, Water Quality and
Clean Water Restoration Acts and Amendments, the
Wilderness Act of 1964, the Endangered
Species Preservation Act of 1966, the Land and Water Conservation
[Fund] Act of 1965, the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965, the
National Trail System Act of 1968, and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
of 1968.
It was
also during Udall's tenure as Secretary of the Interior when, in
September 1962, he was summoned unexpectedly into a meeting with
Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev
during a tour of the Soviet
Union
. It was during this meeting that Khrushchev
famously hinted at his secret deployment of nuclear missiles to Cuba
by telling
Udall that: "It's been a long time since you could spank us like a
little boy. Now we can swat your ass." This was a prelude to
the
Cuban Missile Crisis.
Energy Policy
In October 1972, Udall published a seminal article in
The Atlantic Monthly, called "Too
many cars, too little oil. An argument for the proposition that
'less is more'" that foresaw problems with US transportation and
energy policy and competition with emerging markets for scarce
resources.
In 1974, Udall, along with Charles Conconi and David Osterhout,
wrote "
The Energy Balloon",
discussing the United States' energy policies.
Family
He was the brother of
U.
S. Representative and 1976 presidential
candidate
Mo Udall; he served as Mo's
campaign manager during the
primary
election, which Mo lost to
Jimmy
Carter. Stewart's son
Tom Udall and
nephew
Mark Udall are both former
Representatives in the
U.S. House. In 2008, Tom and Mark were elected US
Senators for New Mexico and Colorado, respectively.
Other information
See also
Notes
- Vanity Fair, May 2007 issue 561, p. 163
- Niall Ferguson, "The War of the World: Twentieth-Century
Conflict and the Descent of the West", New York: Penguin Books,
2006, pp. 600-601
References
.
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search