1881-1960

American soil conservationist who fought passionately against careless use of the soil. Bennett began his career with the United States Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Soils, coordinating soil surveys and studying connections between soil types and crop production in the United States and in the tropics. As soil erosion worsened and the dust storms of the 1930s dramatized the problem, Bennett became the first chief of the Soil Conservation Service and led its efforts to bring contour tillage and other soil conservation practices to American agriculture.