Ickes, Harold Le Claire, << IHK eez, HAR uhld luh klahr >> (1874-1952), served as United States secretary of the interior from 1933 to 1946. He became known for his sharp criticism of public officials. But he held the position of secretary of the interior longer than anyone else because he was honest and a clever administrator. Ickes was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was a defender of Roosevelt’s New Deal recovery program during the Great Depression. From 1933 to 1939, he directed the Public Works Administration, a New Deal agency. In the early 1940’s, during World War II, he was administrator of the United States petroleum program.
Ickes was born in Blair County, Pennsylvania, on March 15, 1874, and graduated from the University of Chicago. He worked as a lawyer and a newspaper columnist. He became active in politics in 1897. He was originally a Republican, but he joined the Progressive Party in 1912 and later became a Democrat. He died in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 3, 1952. His huge and fascinating Diary is an important source for the history of his times.
