Stewart L. Udall: Steward of the Land

by Thomas G. Smith

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826357755
Publisher:	University of New Mexico Press
Publication date:	09/01/2017
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Acknowledgments xi

Prologue xv

Chapter 1 Mormon Forebears 1

Chapter 2 Son of the High Plateau 13

Chapter 3 Mormon Mission 31

Chapter 4 Wartime Mission 43

Chapter 5 Tucson 61

Chapter 6 Storm Warning for Reclamation 77

Chapter 7 House Reformer 97

Chapter 8 Secretary of the Interior 121

Chapter 9 Kennedy, Conservation, and Khrushchev 149

Chapter 10 Disgruntled New Frontiersman 173

Chapter 11 A Ringside Seat at LBJ's Round Table 191

Chapter 12 Beauty and the Beast 211

Chapter 13 The CAP and the Grand Canyon Controversy 229

Chapter 14 Vietnam: Waist Deep in the Big Muddy 255

Chapter 15 Farting Gifts, Parting Ways 273

Chapter 16 Consultant and Presidential Campaign Manager 295

Chapter 17 Advocate for American Atomic Victims 309

Chapter 18 Final Days in Santa Fe 323

Notes 335

Bibliography 381

Index 393

Editorial Reviews

"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

From the Publisher