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103-445: The Alaska Syndicate faced intense scrutiny from Alaskans in favor of increased autonomy over their own affairs. The Syndicate, which divided its shares equally amongst M. Guggenheim & Sons and J.P. Morgan & Co. , continued to buy up hundreds of thousands of acres of wilderness, which gave rise to the notion that Alaska was "First a Colony of Russia, then a colony of Guggenmorgan". Forester and conservationist Gifford Pinchot led

206-602: A "working forest" in which working people would engage in small-scale logging, while the forests would be preserved, and he was appalled by the large-scale logging undertaken by large syndicates. Pinchot had a more favorable view of Greeley's successor, Robert Y. Stuart , and his influence played a key role in blocking several plans to transfer of the Forest Service out of the Department of Agriculture. Governor William Cameron Sproul appointed Pinchot as chairman of

309-528: A corner of South Dakota).[3] One year after the Great Fire of 1910 , the religious Greeley succeeded in receiving a promotion to a high administration job in Washington. In 1920, he became Chief of the Forest Service. The fire of 1910 convinced him that Satan was at work, the fire converted him into a fire extinguishing partisan who elevated firefighting to the raison d'être — the overriding mission — of

412-545: A decentralized structure that empowered local civil servants to make decisions about conservation and forestry. Pinchot's conservation philosophy was influenced by ethnologist William John McGee and utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham , as well as the ethos of the Progressive Era . Like many other Progressive Era reformers, Pinchot emphasized that his field was important primarily for its social utility and could be best understood through scientific methods. He

515-458: A degree we in America know nothing about." Pinchot returned to America after thirteen months before completing his curriculum and against the advice of his professors. Pinchot felt that additional training was unnecessary and what mattered was getting the profession of forestry started in America. Pinchot landed his first professional forestry position in early 1892, when he became the manager of

618-613: A dispute with Secretary of the Interior Richard A. Ballinger that led to Pinchot's dismissal. The controversy contributed to the split of the Republican Party and the formation of the Progressive Party prior to the 1912 presidential election . Pinchot supported Roosevelt's Progressive candidacy, but Roosevelt was defeated by Democrat Woodrow Wilson . Pinchot returned to public office in 1920, becoming

721-507: A family affair and suggested that Gifford should become a forester, asking him just before he left for Yale in 1885, "How would you like to become a forester?" At Yale, Pinchot became a member of the Skull and Bones society, played on the football team under coach Walter Camp , and volunteered with the YMCA . Pinchot earned a varsity letter as a member of the 1888 Yale football team , which

824-435: A key role in shaping the agency's mission and policies, emphasizing sustainable management of forest resources for the benefit of the public. Pinchot was a highly visible organizer and writer in the conservation movement of the early 20th century. A master politician, he advocated for the wise use and preservation of natural resources, promoting the idea of conservation as a means to ensure long-term benefits for society. Pinchot

927-639: A man who stood up for the area, and this man's name was James Wickersham. James Wickersham was a major opponent of the Alaska Syndicate. "An affidavit similar to the one herewith enclosed was submitted by Hon. James Wickersham Delegate from Alaska, on May 24, 1910, together with a copy of a letter which he forwarded to the Attorney General on the same date, with reference to the matter of furnishing coal to military posts at Forts Davis and Liscum, Alaska, and on May 28, 1910, this office informed

1030-620: A period of ill health. After his recovery they moved north again to Alaska in August 1865. Kennicott died in May 1866, likely of congestive heart failure, while traveling up the Yukon River . Today the tourism makes up the majority of the local economy. People from all over the world come and visit the remains of the Kennecott mines. Even though Kennicott is not a copper mining town anymore it

1133-418: A regional approach, while Schenck favored private enterprise effort. Pinchot's main contribution was his leadership in promoting scientific forestry and emphasizing the controlled, profitable use of forests and other natural resources so they would be of maximum benefit to mankind. He coined the term conservation ethic as applied to natural resources. Under his leadership, the number of individuals employed by

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1236-632: A seven-month voyage of the Southern Pacific Ocean in 1929, which Pinchot chronicled in his 1930 work, To the South Seas . Pinchot and his wife had one child, Gifford Bryce Pinchot, who was born in 1915. The younger Pinchot later helped found the Natural Resources Defense Council , an organization similar to his father's National Conservation Association. Proud of the first Gifford Pinchot's legacy,

1339-425: A staunch teetotaler during the early period of Prohibition ; he was also boosted by his popularity with farmers, laborers, and women. Pinchot focused on balancing the state budget; he inherited a $ 32 million deficit and left office with a $ 6.7 million surplus. Pinchot and engineer Morris Llewellyn Cooke pursued ambitious plans to regulate Pennsylvania's electric power industry , but their proposals were defeated in

1442-459: A time horizon, he also battled the forest preservationists like John Muir, who were deeply opposed to commercializing nature. Pinchot's policies also aroused opposition from ranchers, who opposed regulation of livestock grazing in public lands. The Roosevelt administration's efforts to regulate public land led to blowback in Congress, which moved to combat "Pinchotism" and reassert control over

1545-556: A tour of the American West with the National Forest Commission. Pinchot disagreed with the commission's final report, which advocated preventing U.S. forest reserves from being used for any commercial purpose; Pinchot instead favored the development of a professional forestry service which would preside over limited commercial activities in forest reserves. In 1897, Pinchot became a special forest agent for

1648-879: Is Pinchot Hall at Penn State University . A large Coast Redwood in Muir Woods , California, is also named in his honor, as are Mount Pinchot and Pinchot Pass near the John Muir Trail in Kings Canyon National Park in the Sierra Nevada in California. The Pinchot Sycamore , the largest tree in his native state of Connecticut and second-largest sycamore on the Atlantic coast, still stands in Simsbury . The house where Pinchot

1751-457: Is between the two glaciers, was completed just hours before the spring ice would have destroyed it. At the pinnacle of his career, Heney left Cordova to complete some business arrangements in Seattle and New York. On his way back north, his ship hit an uncharted rock and sank. Heney went under deck to rescue his horses, but the last boat left without him when he returned on deck. So he swam to

1854-547: Is still a company town of sorts with it having headquarters to the National Park Service. McCarthy is still able to be accessed by the McCarthy Road which follows the rail bed of the old Copper River and Northwestern Railway from Chitina to McCarthy. Gifford Pinchot Gifford Pinchot (August 11, 1865 – October 4, 1946) was an American forester and politician. He served as

1957-605: Is that in the protection and conservation of the public domain the Interior Department, or the Executive Department, has only those powers expressly authorized by law . When Ballinger approved of long-disputed mining claims to coal deposits in Alaska in 1909, Land Office agent Louis Glavis broke governmental protocol by going outside the Interior Department to seek help from Pinchot. Concerned about

2060-705: The 1920 presidential election , but, despite some speculation that he would be appointed as Secretary of Agriculture, did not receive a position in Harding's administration. After leaving office in 1910, Pinchot took up leadership of the National Conservation Association (NCA), a conservationist non-governmental organization that he had helped found the previous year. The organization, which ceased operations in 1923, never attracted as many members as Pinchot had initially hoped, but its efforts affected conservation-related legislation. Later in

2163-739: The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment . It became the third school in the U.S. that trained professional foresters, after the New York State College of Forestry at Cornell and the Biltmore Forest School . Central to his publicity work was his creation of news for magazines and newspapers. Pinchot's friend, Theodore Roosevelt , became president in 1901, and Pinchot became part of

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2266-642: The Katalla, Alaska , port was "wiped out in a winter storm", the syndicate acquired the Close Brothers-Heney interest." Heney was bought out for $ 250,000 and he retired for a second time. After having many problems building the railway they appointed him contractor. The Copper River and Northwestern Railway was one of the most difficult construction projects ever undertaken. The line crossed in-between two glaciers, under primitive conditions, far from any supplies. The Million Dollar Bridge , which

2369-493: The Progressive Party , which nominated Roosevelt for president in the 1912 United States presidential election . The Pinchots represented the more ideologically left wing faction of the party, and they frequently feuded with financier George Walbridge Perkins . Though Pinchot campaigned extensively for Roosevelt, Roosevelt and Taft were both defeated by Democrat Woodrow Wilson . Pinchot continued to affiliate with

2472-573: The Society of American Foresters , an organization that helped bring credibility to the new profession of forestry, and was part of the broader professionalization movement underway in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century. Pursuant to the goal of professionalization, the Pinchot family endowed a 2-year graduate-level School of Forestry at Yale University, which is now known as

2575-666: The United Nations , but the United Nations would not focus on the environment until the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment . Gifford Pinchot died on October 4, 1946, aged 81, from leukemia . He is interred at Milford Cemetery, Pike County, Pennsylvania . Pinchot fell in love with Laura Houghteling, the daughter of a wealthy Chicago lumberman, in Asheville, North Carolina. Pinchot

2678-733: The United States Department of the Interior . In 1898, Pinchot became the head of the Division of Forestry, which was part of the United States Department of Agriculture . Pinchot is known for reforming the management and development of forests in the United States and for advocating the conservation of the nation's reserves by planned use and renewal. His approach set him apart from some other leading forestry experts, especially Bernhard E. Fernow and Carl A. Schenck . In contrast to Pinchot's national vision, Fernow advocated

2781-694: The Works Progress Administration and National Park Service , Pinchot helped expand Pennsylvania's state parks , and also helped Pennsylvania's struggling farmers and unemployed workers by paving rural roads, which became known as "Pinchot Roads". Prohibition was repealed in 1933 . Four days before the sale of alcohol became legal in Pennsylvania again, Pinchot called the Pennsylvania General Assembly into special session to debate regulations regarding

2884-487: The 1912 presidential campaign, Pinchot frequently worked with Cornelia Bryce , a women's suffrage activist who was a daughter of former Congressman Lloyd Bryce and a granddaughter of former New York City mayor Edward Cooper . They became engaged in early 1914 and were married in August 1914. Although Cornelia Pinchot waged several unsuccessful campaigns for the United States House of Representatives , she

2987-507: The 1920s, Pinchot worked with Senator George W. Norris to build a federal dam on the Tennessee River . Pinchot had appointed William Greeley during his tenure at the Forest Service, and Greeley became chief of the Forest Service in 1920. Under Greeley, the forest service became a figurative fire engine company, protecting trees so the timber industry could cut them down later at government expense. Pinchot had always preached of

3090-539: The Bonanza and Jumbo mines. In 1915 the Kennecott Copper Company was established by the Alaska Syndicate of which Birch became president. After acquiring the copper ore deposits in 1906, it became necessary to develop transportation infrastructure, for "without transportation, the world's richest copper deposits were valueless." While the unique difficulties of development in the north did not inspire

3193-468: The Bonanza claim. Birch was enthusiastic about the opportunity and in the fall of 1902, financed by wealthy New York financiers H.O. Havemeyer and James Ralph, he began to purchase pieces of the Bonanza claim from the members of the McClellan group. After the acquisition of the original McClellan group claims, Birch realized he desperately needed funding to construct a railway from the port of Valdez to

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3296-649: The Bonanza mine nearly 200 miles away. In 1905, Birch had gained support from John Rosene of Northwestern Commercial Company who agreed to construct the railway from Valdez to Bonanza mine; construction began in June 1905. It soon became apparent to Birch more funding was necessary to complete the railway and to develop the copper mines. In his search for investors, Birch met with J.P. Morgan Jr. , W.P. Hamilton and Charles Steele of J.P. Morgan & Co. in March 1906. Two months later in May, Birch met with Daniel Guggenheim , who

3399-832: The Copper River Railway Company. Heney chose Cordova as port for his railroad and, supported by Close Brothers and engineer Erastus Corning Hawkins, began construction in April 1906. At the same time, the Alaska Syndicate was attempting a railroad from Valdez through the Keystone Canyon. Having given up on the Valdez route, in 1906 the Alaska Syndicate bought Heney's surveyed route, through the Abercrombie Canyon, for $ 250,000 from his Copper River Railroad company. After contracting Heney and purchasing

3502-486: The Cunningham claims, and successfully weathering (with the help of Senator Simon Guggenheim ) a Congressional investigation into his dealings, Ballinger resigned in 1911 under sustained pressure from Pinchot and Congressional Democrats. His successor Walter Fisher soon rejected the Cunningham claims. The controversy also provided substantial fodder to further the aims of proponents of Alaskan home rule. Coupled with

3605-412: The Department of Justice, requested, and was furnished, a brief statement of facts as shown by the records of this office, it being understood that fee intended to assist the Department of Justice in the investigation of the matter. "No call has yet been received from the Attorney General for any papers or information that may be on file in this office." Efforts toward self-government were complicated by

3708-433: The Division of Forestry grew from 60 in 1898 to 500 in 1905; he also hired numerous part-time employees who worked only during the summer. The Division of Forestry did not have direct control over the national forest reserves, which were instead assigned to the U.S. Department of Interior , but Pinchot reached an arrangement with the Department of Interior and state agencies to work on reserves. In 1900, Pinchot established

3811-412: The Forest Service. In 1907, Congress passed an act prohibiting the president from creating more forest reserves. With Pinchot's help, President Roosevelt responded by creating 16 million acres (65,000 km²) of new National Forests (which became known as " midnight forests ") just minutes before he lost the legal power to do so. Despite congressional opposition, Roosevelt, Pinchot, and Secretary of

3914-575: The Forest Service.[3] Under Greeley, the Service became the fire engine company, protecting trees so the timber industry could cut them down later at government expense. Pinchot was appalled. The timber industry successfully oriented the Forestry Service toward policies favorable to large-scale harvesting via regulatory capture, and metaphorically, the timber industry was now the fox in the chicken coop.[25] Pinchot and Roosevelt had envisioned, at

4017-562: The Interior James R. Garfield continued to find ways to protect public land from private development during Roosevelt's last two years in office. Pinchot hand-picked William Greeley, the son of a Congregational minister, who finished at the top of that first Yale forestry graduating class of 1904, to be the Forest Service's Region 1 forester, with responsibility over 41 million acres (170,000 km2) in 22 National Forests in four western states (all of Montana, much of Idaho, Washington, and

4120-738: The Kennecott Mining Company was still in operation they had developed other properties that still exist today. The different spelling between Kennicott and Kennecott was a simple mistake of one letter that the mine owner accidentally spelled wrong and never changed. The Kennicott glacier was named after Robert Kennicott. Robert Kennicott was a part of the Western Union Telegraph Expedition and arrived in San Francisco in April 1865. The group moved north to Vancouver where Kennicott suffered

4223-641: The Pennsylvania Forest Commission in 1920. As chairman, Pinchot coaxed a major budget increase from the legislature, decentralized the commission's administration, and replaced numerous political appointees with professional foresters. He narrowly won the three-candidate Republican primary in Pennsylvania's 1922 gubernatorial election , and went on to defeat Democrat John A. McSparran in the general election. Pinchot's victory over his Republican opponents owed much to his reputation as

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4326-574: The Progressives after the 1912 election, working to build the party in Pennsylvania. He ran as the Progressive nominee in the 1914 U.S. Senate election , but was defeated by incumbent Republican Senator Boies Penrose . The Progressive Party collapsed after Roosevelt refused to run in the 1916 presidential election , and Pinchot subsequently re-joined the Republican Party. He supported Republican Warren G. Harding 's successful campaign in

4429-592: The Seattle Lake Short and Eastern Railroad, Heney had earned the epithet "the boy contractor." He garnered an international reputation following his work on the White Pass and Yukon Route for Close Brothers and Company of London. The Alaska copper claims attracted Heney's attention to the Copper River valley. He surveyed a route that would well-serve the mining interests of the area and founded

4532-464: The Secretary of War that the papers referred to would be held, pending call from the Attorney General for any papers or information that may be on file in this office. As it is understood that the Department of Justice was investigating the matter, no further action was taken by his office. "However, on November 26, 1910, Mr. Stuart McNamara, of No. 52 William Street, New York, formerly connected with

4635-731: The Senate a third time in the 1934 Senate election in Pennsylvania , losing the Republican nomination to incumbent Senator David A. Reed . He later sought the Republican nomination in the 1938 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election , running on a platform that favored the New Deal and opposed the influence of Republican leaders Joseph R. Grundy and Joseph N. Pew Jr. He was defeated in the Republican primary by conservative former Lieutenant Governor Arthur James . Out of public office, Pinchot continued his ultimately successful campaign to prevent

4738-553: The U.S. Pinchot studied at the French National School of Forestry in Nancy . This is where his formal studies took place, and where he learned the basics of forest economics, law, and science. It was also where he first encountered a professionally managed forest, where, "[The French Forests] were divided at regular intervals by perfectly straight paths and roads at right angle to each other, and they were protected to

4841-646: The United States in 1816, becoming a merchant and major landowner based in Milford, Pennsylvania . His mother's maternal grandfather, Elisha Phelps , and her uncle, John S. Phelps , both served in Congress . Pinchot had one younger brother, Amos , and one younger sister, Antoinette, who later married British diplomat Alan Johnstone . Pinchot was educated at home until 1881, when he enrolled in Phillips Exeter Academy . James made conservation

4944-480: The blame for a subsequent increase in coal prices, and Coolidge ultimately won the 1924 presidential election. Constitutionally barred from seeking a second term, Pinchot ran in the 1926 Senate election in Pennsylvania . Facing strong opposition from anti-Prohibition "wets" and the conservative wing of the Republican Party, Pinchot was defeated by Congressman William Scott Vare in the Republican primary. Vare went on to defeat former Labor Secretary William Wilson in

5047-631: The building of roads, the lure of profits attracted railway companies. Michael James Heney (1864-1910), a Canadian of Irish descent, had a clear passion for the railroad. He first left home, briefly, at the age of fourteen to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). When Heney was 17, he left again to work on the CPR in Elkhorn, Manitoba. Upon its completion, Heney, at age 21, was ready to become an independent contractor. After building

5150-614: The candidate of Vare's Philadelphia machine, and Thomas Phillips , a former US Representative who was enthusiastically supported by the state's wet forces. Despite the defection of some Republicans, Pinchot narrowly defeated Democrat John Hemphill in the general election. Taking office in the midst of the Great Depression , Pinchot faced persistently high unemployment levels and sharply declining revenues during his second term. Pinchot prioritized fiscal conservatism and avoided major budget increases, but he also sought ways to help

5253-560: The charge against the Alaska Syndicate and the so-called "Morganheims" and their supporter in Washington, Secretary of the Interior Richard Ballinger . Ballinger, a perceived enemy of the conservation movement of which Pinchot was a leading mover, had intervened in and investigated the legality of coal mining claims made by Clarence Cunningham , a partner of J.P. Morgan and the Guggenheims. Cunningham had been

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5356-427: The conservation of our natural resources. The difference which exists between them is as to the authority of law. Mr. Garfield... and Mr. Pinchot have both taken the view that the Executive Department, as the custodian of the great public domain, can do anything that is necessary for the protection and conservation of that domain which is not forbidden by law . ... I propose now to state the position of Mr. Ballinger — it

5459-461: The copper and coal deposits recently discovered on the Copper River (Alaska) . He surveyed a route, bought land, named the city of Cordova, Alaska and started construction, while rival companies built on different lines. The dramatic conflicts between the various crews included gunfire. The Guggenheims and J.P. Morgan , via the Alaska Syndicate , sought access to the copper ore deposits at Kennecott, Alaska . When an alternate route starting at

5562-562: The establishment of national forests, the Antiquities Act, and the National Park Service. On conservation matters he was a major influence on President Theodore Roosevelt. Pinchot's ideas and legacy have had a lasting impact on conservation practices in the United States and beyond. His emphasis on sustainable resource management and the public interest continues to be relevant in contemporary conservation efforts. Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington and Gifford Pinchot State Park in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania , are named in his honor, as

5665-447: The establishment of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board , calling it "the best liquor control system in America". He retired from public life after his defeat in the 1938 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election , but remained active in the conservation movement until his death in 1946. Gifford Pinchot was born in Simsbury, Connecticut , on August 11, 1865. He was named for Hudson River School artist Sanford Robinson Gifford . Pinchot

5768-424: The family has continued to name their sons Gifford, down to Gifford Pinchot IV. Gifford Pinchot was a highly important figure in the history of conservation and natural resource management in the United States. Here are some key reasons for his significance: Pinchot was instrumental in President Roosevelt's establishment of the United States Forest Service in 1905. As the first Chief of the Forest Service, he played

5871-403: The forests at George Washington Vanderbilt II 's Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina . The following year, Pinchot met John Muir , a naturalist who founded the Sierra Club and would become Pinchot's mentor and, later, his rival. Pinchot worked at Biltmore until 1895, when he fell out with Carl Alwin Schenck and opened a consulting office in New York City. In 1896, he embarked on

5974-464: The fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, as the first head of the United States Forest Service , and as the 28th governor of Pennsylvania . He was a member of the Republican Party for most of his life, though he joined the Progressive Party for a brief period. Born into the wealthy Pinchot family, Gifford Pinchot embarked on a career in forestry after graduating from Yale University in 1889. President William McKinley appointed Pinchot as

6077-517: The general election, but in his capacity as governor Pinchot refused to certify the results of the election, claiming that Vare had illegally bought votes. The U.S. Senate refused to seat Vare and the seat was not filled until the appointment of Joseph R. Grundy in 1929. With the backing of Senator Grundy, Pinchot launched a bid for the Republican nomination in the 1930 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election . Relying once again on support from women and rural voters, Pinchot defeated Francis Shunk Brown ,

6180-400: The growing distaste for wealthy bankers and "Captains of Industry" that was brewing across the country at the time, the public images of the Morgans and Guggenheims took a great hit. Often portrayed together in political cartoons (with thinly veiled anti-Semitism) as the Shylock-like monster Morganheim (or Guggenmorgan), the controllers of the Alaska Syndicate continued to be a lightning rod for

6283-412: The head of the Division of Forestry in 1898, and Pinchot became the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service after it was established in 1905. Pinchot enjoyed a close relationship with President Theodore Roosevelt , who shared Pinchot's views regarding the importance of conservation. After William Howard Taft succeeded Roosevelt as president, Pinchot was at the center of the Pinchot–Ballinger controversy ,

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6386-414: The head of the Pennsylvania's forestry division under Governor William Cameron Sproul . He succeeded Sproul by winning the 1922 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election . He won a second term as governor through a victory in the 1930 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election , and supported many of the New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt . After the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment , Pinchot led

6489-417: The illegal distribution of thirty-three federal government Alaskan coal land claims to the Guggenheim interests, culminated in a Congressional investigation and brought Alaska directly into the national headlines. In the midst of it all, James Wickersham was a big contribution to Alaska becoming a state. The town of Kennicott was home to over 500 miners and their families, which is now a small community. It

6592-478: The impoverished and unemployed. He presided over the passage of a bill to provide state money for indigent care and initiated various infrastructure projects. He cooperated with President Franklin Roosevelt , despite Roosevelt's being a Democrat and Prohibition opponent. Under Governor Pinchot's leadership, Pennsylvania welcomed the Civilian Conservation Corps , which established 113 camps to work on public lands in Pennsylvania (second only to California). Working with

6695-524: The influence in Washington of the "Alaska Syndicate," formed in 1906 by the fortunes of J. P. Morgan and Guggenheim. The Syndicate had purchased the large Kennicott-Bonanza copper mine and controlled much of Alaskan steamship and rail transportation, as well as a major part of the salmon canning industry. The Syndicate lobby in Washington had successfully opposed any further extension of Alaskan home rule. James Wickersham, who had been appointed to an Alaskan judgeship in 1900 by President McKinley, became alarmed by

6798-432: The intense flow of the Copper River, building around glaciers, and chiseling into the rock faces of two canyons. The railroad cost $ 20 million, including $ 1.5 million for the construction of the " Million Dollar Bridge ," which crosses the Copper River between the Miles and Childs Glaciers. When the great depression hit, the Alaska Syndicate was not immune. The price of copper collapsed and mining activities came to an end in

6901-429: The latter's informal "Tennis Cabinet". Pinchot and Roosevelt shared the view that the federal government must act to regulate public lands and provide for the scientific management of public resources. In 1905, Roosevelt and Pinchot convinced Congress to establish the United States Forest Service , an agency charged with overseeing the country's forest reserves. As the first head of the Forest Service, Pinchot implemented

7004-646: The least, that public timber should be sold only to small, family-run logging outfits, not to big syndicates. Pinchot had always preached of a "working forest" for working people and small-scale logging at the edge, preservation at the core. In 1928 Bill Greeley left the Forest Service for a position in the timber industry, becoming an executive with the West Coast Lumberman's Association.[26] When Pinchot traveled west in 1937, to view those forests with Henry S. Graves, what they saw "tore his heart out". Greeley's legacy, combining modern chain saws and government-built forest roads, had allowed industrial-scale clear-cuts to become

7107-469: The level of influence he had held under Roosevelt. Taft mistrusted Pinchot and did not have patience for Pinchot operating with more authority than what Taft thought was appropriate. Taft once stated, "Pinchot is a socialist and a spiritualist, a strange combination and one that is capable of any extreme act." After taking office, Taft replaced Secretary of the Interior James Rudolph Garfield with Richard Ballinger . The tension between Ballinger and Taft on

7210-463: The manufacture and sale of alcohol. This session led to the establishment of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and its system of state-run liquor stores. Though Pinchot is often misquoted as having said his goal was to "discourage the purchase of alcoholic beverages by making it as inconvenient and expensive as possible", in reality he believed that the PLCB would put bootleggers out of business by offering lower prices. Pinchot also argued that under

7313-412: The mining industry. Steven Birch was one of the earliest people who purchased claims in the Kennecott ores when it was first discovered. He persuaded JP Morgan and the Guggenheims to invest in the deposit at Kennecott. The operation and the development of the ores in Kennecott falls in the successions of two organizations: The Alaska Syndicate and the Kennecott Copper Corporation. The two organizations share

7416-514: The new system of state controlled liquor stores "[w]hisky will be sold by civil service employees with exactly the same amount of salesmanship as is displayed by an automatic postage stamp vending machine." Pinchot was a delegate to the first and second International Eugenics Congress , in 1912 and 1921, and a member of the advisory council of the American Eugenics Society , from 1925 to 1935. Pinchot ran unsuccessfully for

7519-703: The new times. Consequently, the Alaska Syndicate invited public participation and a new corporation, the Kennecott Copper Corporation, was founded. Essentially the same people controlled the Corporation, but with different tactics and methods to manage the organization. James Wickersham was district judge and delegate of the House of Representatives for the Territory of Alaska 1909-1917, 1919, and 1921, 1931-1933. The Territory of Alaska had

7622-501: The norm in the western national forests of Montana and Oregon. Entire mountainsides, mountain after mountain, were treeless. "So this is what saving the trees was all about." "Absolute devastation", Pinchot wrote in his diary. "The Forest Service should absolutely declare against clear-cutting in Washington and Oregon as a defensive measure", Pinchot wrote.[27] Pinchot continued to lead the Forest Service after Republican William Howard Taft succeeded Roosevelt in 1909, but did not retain

7725-421: The one hand and their predecessors Pinchot and Roosevelt on the other lay less in any differing level of commitment to conservation than in differing scruples over legality, a contrast summed up by Senator Francis G. Newlands of Nevada : There is no real difference of opinion between those who believe with Mr. Ballinger and those who believe with Mr. Pinchot regarding the legislation which should be enacted as to

7828-926: The only National Historic Landmark operated by that federal agency. The street address of the USDA's Forest Products Laboratory headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin is 1 Gifford Pinchot Drive. Gifford Pinchot III , grandson of the first Gifford Pinchot, founded the Pinchot University , now merged with Presidio Graduate School . The Pinchot family also dedicated The Pinchot Institute for Conservation , which maintains offices both at Grey Towers and headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Institute continues Pinchot's legacy of conservation leadership and sustainable forestry. Michael James Heney Michael James "Moose" Heney (October 24, 1864 – October 11, 1910 )

7931-400: The political landscape across the board. For example, it caused the resignation of Ballinger, who was a politician in favor of the Alaska Syndicate. Also, the effects of this anti-syndicate climate caused the failure of President Taft's re-election to the presidency. His successor, president Wilson had a series of political reforms which made the old methods of the Alaska Syndicate to not work in

8034-580: The possibility of fraud in the claim, and skeptical of Ballinger's commitment to conservation, Pinchot intervened in the dispute on behalf of Glavis. In the midst of a budding controversy, Taft came down in favor of Ballinger, who was authorized to dismiss Glavis. Though Taft hoped to avoid further controversy, Pinchot became determined to dramatize the issue by forcing his own dismissal. After Pinchot publicly criticized Ballinger for several months, Taft dismissed Pinchot in January 1910. Pinchot maneuvered behind

8137-435: The potential influence of incorporated interests in the territory and took up the struggle for Alaskan self-government. Wickersham argued that Alaska's resources should be used for the good of the entire country rather than exploited by a select group of large, absentee-controlled interests—home rule, he claimed, would assure more just utilization of the territory's natural wealth. The 1910 Ballinger-Pinchot affair, which involved

8240-507: The press, conservationists, anti-business forces, small merchants, and all others who believed that Alaska's pristine lands should be exploited only through the careful regulation of the government. In 1901 Stephen Birch , a young mining engineer, was in Valdez, Alaska in search of prosperous mining claims. That summer, he was approached by Clarence Warner and Jack Smith – two members of the McClellan group – for financial investment to develop

8343-467: The remaining Copper River Railroad company assets, the venture was renamed the Copper River and Northwestern Railroad . The Alaska Syndicate then turned its attention to Katalla, another possible port with both oil and coal deposits. Katalla, however, was subject to violent storms, which destroyed the dock and much of the town. In the end, it was Heney's 195 mile route from Cordova to Kennecott which

8446-476: The representative of 32 individuals seeking claims in what would soon be protected by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 as the Chugach National Forest . Cunningham was accused of staking the claims on 5,280 acres in order to later transfer them to the Alaska Syndicate, despite this surrogacy being specifically banned by the recently passed Alaska Coal Act. Despite his initial validation of

8549-480: The same goals across different historical times. They are stability of supply, transportations and markets. The Alaska Syndicate, as typical businessmen in the 19th century, used bribes and promises to win business favors in the political system. However, their methods were seriously challenged by James Wickersham who led the Alaskan people against monopolism. The famous Ballinger-Pinchot Affair [14] eventually changed

8652-803: The scenes to ensure the appointment of his ally, Henry S. Graves , as the new head of the Forest Service. An investigation two decades later by Harold L. Ickes , Secretary of the Interior under Franklin Roosevelt , led Ickes to conclude that Pinchot's allegations against Ballinger were unfounded and that Pinchot's motive for making them was an appetite for publicity. At Roosevelt's request, Pinchot met Roosevelt in Europe in 1910, where they discussed Pinchot's dismissal by Taft. Roosevelt subsequently expressed disappointment with Taft's policies and began to publicly distance himself from Taft. Along with Amos Pinchot and several other individuals, Pinchot helped establish

8755-462: The state legislature. Pinchot emerged as a potential contender for the Republican nomination in the 1924 presidential election following the death of President Harding, as many progressive Republicans hoped Pinchot could unseat Harding's successor, Calvin Coolidge . Pinchot's presidential chances were badly damaged by his role in settling the 1923 United Mine Workers coal strike, as he received

8858-666: The summer of 1935. The Copper River and Northwestern railroad was last used in November 1938. The Alaska Syndicate took form in 1906 when the financial interests of JP Morgan merged with the mining interests of the Guggenheims, with Stephen Birch as the managing director. Stephen Birch also expanded the Syndicate to other ventures. Eventually, it acquired an important mercantile business, Alaska's second largest company, its largest steamship and its longest railroads. The discovery of high-grade copper ore at Kennecott attracted attention in

8961-465: The transfer of the Forest Service to the Department of the Interior, frequently sparring with Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes . He also published new editions of his manual on forestry and worked on his autobiography, Breaking New Ground , which was published shortly after his death. During and after World War II , Pinchot advocated for conservation to be a part of the mission of

9064-578: Was a classic "dry" company town. Most of the miners lived in company housing and life revolved around the mining operation. The Kennecott Copper Mine was the largest copper mine in the world at some time. (?) The mine operated from 1911 to 1938 in the town that is known now as McCarthy in Wrangell St. Elias National Park . In the spring of 1915, Guggenheim and Morgan formed the Kennecott Copper Corporation . The total production

9167-484: Was a railroad contractor, best known for his work on the first two railroads built in Alaska , the White Pass and Yukon Route and the Copper River and Northwestern Railway . The son of Irish immigrants , Heney rose to the top of his profession before his death. His life inspired several books and at least one movie. Michael James Heney was born on October 24, 1864, near Stonecliffe , Renfrew County , Canada West . He

9270-523: Was already convinced to back the railroad. As a result of Birch's efforts, in June 1906 Guggenheim "joined with the house of Morgan to form the Alaska Syndicate with the specific goal of developing Birch's copper mine." Birch was one of the three managing directors of the syndicate. With the financial backing of Guggenheim and Morgan, the railway was built and Birch developed the Kennecott copper mines, which consisted of several large copper mines including

9373-544: Was born belonged to his grandfather, Captain Elisha Phelps, and is also on the National Register of Historic Places . He is also commemorated in the scientific name of a species of Caribbean lizard, Anolis pinchoti . In 1963, President John F. Kennedy accepted the family's summer retreat house, Grey Towers National Historic Site , which the Pinchot family donated to the U.S. Forest Service. It remains

9476-536: Was completed in 1911. Many workers in Katalla would hold out hope for a spur railroad, in order to utilize the coal reserves as fuel for the railroad, but eventually, the Gugenheims converted their engines from coal to oil powered, eliminating the need. The syndicate's railroad construction was not without competition and confrontations. Although various means were employed to discourage competing railways, violence

9579-477: Was fired by President Taft, and this was a major factor in the alienation of Taft and Roosevelt in 1912. Pinchot developed the concept of multiple-use management, which advocated for balancing conservation with the utilization of natural resources for economic and social purposes. This principle continues to influence conservation practices today. Pinchot's advocacy and expertise helped shape significant conservation policies and legislation during his time, including

9682-554: Was generally opposed to preservation for the sake of wilderness or scenery, a fact perhaps best illustrated by the important support he offered to the damming of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park . Pinchot used the rhetoric of the market economy to disarm critics of efforts to expand the role of government: scientific management of forests and natural resources was profitable. While most of his battles were with timber companies that he thought had too narrow

9785-601: Was hired to construct a rail line for the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway . In 1897 he was contracted to build a gold mining hydraulic line at Anchor Point, Alaska . When the Klondike Gold Rush came, Heney was ready. He visited the Skagway area to survey potential routes to the interior. By chance, he met Erastus Hawkins representing the Pacific Contract Company, Limited, which

9888-546: Was managing the forest assets of the Biltmore estate, while Houghteling stayed at her family estate Strawberry Hill on the French Broad River. In 1893, they decided to marry, but Laura passed away in early 1894 after a protracted battle with tuberculosis. Gifford Pinchot wore black mourning clothes in the following years, wrote about Houghteling often in his journal, and would not marry for another 20 years. During

9991-489: Was organized to build through the White Pass inside of the St. James hotels lobby. A deal was struck and Heney was hired, first as labor foreman and then as contractor. Built through mountainous wilderness, far from supplies, using labor that was returning from the gold fields, the 110.7 mile White Pass and Yukon Route was an outstanding achievement and gained Heney an international reputation. Heney next turned his attention to

10094-501: Was successful with numerous other political and public service activities, and has been described by historians at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as "one of the most politically active first ladies in the history of Pennsylvania". She gave numerous speeches on behalf of women, organized labor, and other causes, and frequently served as a campaign surrogate for her husband. Pinchot and his family took

10197-481: Was the oldest child of James W. Pinchot , a successful New York City interior furnishings merchant, and Mary Eno, daughter of one of New York City's wealthiest real estate developers, Amos Eno . James and Mary were both well-connected with prominent Republican Party leaders and former Union generals, including family friend William T. Sherman , and they would frequently aid Pinchot's later political career. Pinchot's paternal grandfather had migrated from France to

10300-502: Was the son of Thomas Eugene Heney and Mary Ann McCourt, Irish immigrants. His family farmed in the upper Ottawa Valley . At age 14, Heney ran away from home to work on the newly announced Canadian Pacific Railway . He started as a water boy, then graduated to a track laying crew assistant and mule skinner. In 1883 he was included in a survey and location crew in the Selkirk Mountains , eventually becoming foreman. In 1887 he

10403-575: Was undefeated and was not scored on. With the encouragement of his parents, Pinchot continued to pursue the nascent field of forestry after graduating from Yale in 1889. He traveled to Europe, where he met with leading European foresters such as Dietrich Brandis and Wilhelm Philipp Daniel Schlich , who suggested that Pinchot study the French forestry system. Brandis and Schlich had a strong influence on Pinchot, who would later rely heavily upon Brandis' advice in introducing professional forest management in

10506-500: Was used on two occasions. The more famous occasion involved the fatal shooting of a worker from the Alaska Home Railroad, a rival who wanted to pursue the Valdez route that the syndicate had abandoned. The deputized leader of the band who shot the worker was subsequently tried and "the syndicate lost much face as charges of bribery and other irregularities were aired." The terrain presented difficulties including bridging

10609-417: Was valued at over $ 200 million which is now comparable about $ 3 billion. After all of the rich copper deposits were depleted the mines of Kennecott along with the railroad, ceased operations. The Alaska Syndicate was formed to develop the mine which eventually expanded into coal, salmon, and infrastructure throughout the state. Their influence helped to prevent Alaska from becoming a state as early as 1916. While

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