Born March 15, 1874 Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania

Died February 3, 1952 Olney, Maryland

Public administrator, reformer, spokesman

Harold Ickes. AP/Wide World Photo. Reproduced by permission.

"It is clear from Ickes' account of his childhood that to earn his mother's love and respect required a great deal of hard work, conformity, and good behavior. It is also plain that from a very early age these demands found a ready acquiescence [acceptance] in Harold."

Graham J. White in Harold Ickes of the New Deal: His Private Life and Public Career

Harold Ickes had a reputation of being crusty and combative, but he was also noted for honesty and thoroughness. He fought for the rights of America's minorities and for the orderly development of the nation's rich natural resources. Ickes served as secretary of the interior for thirteen years, from 1933 to 1946, longer than anyone else in U.S. history. Never hesitant to speak...