Anne Gorsuch Burford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anne Gorsuch Burford
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| 4th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | |
| In office May 5, 1981 – March 9, 1983 |
|
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Deputy | John Hernandez |
| Preceded by | Douglas M. Costle |
| Succeeded by | William Ruckelshaus |
| Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 12th district |
|
| In office 1976–1980 |
|
| Preceded by | David Gaon |
| Succeeded by | Don Eberle |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Anne Irene McGill
April 21, 1942 Casper, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Died | July 18, 2004 (aged 62) Aurora, Colorado, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
David Gorsuch
(m. 1964; div. 1982)Robert F. Burford
(m. 1983; died 1993) |
| Children | 3, including Neil |
| Education | University of Colorado Boulder (BA, JD) |
Anne Irene McGill Gorsuch Burford (born April 21, 1942 – died July 18, 2004), also known as Anne M. Gorsuch, was an American lawyer and politician. From 1981 to 1983, she worked for President Ronald Reagan. She was the first woman to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA is a government agency that protects human health and the environment. Her son, Neil Gorsuch, is now a Justice on the Supreme Court.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Anne Irene McGill was born in Casper, Wyoming. She was one of seven children. Her father was a surgeon. She grew up in Denver, Colorado. She went to St. Francis DeSales High School there.
She took Spanish classes in Mexico during three summers. She studied at the University of Colorado Boulder. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961 when she was 19. She then went to law school at the University of Colorado Law School. She received her law degree (called a Juris Doctor) in 1964. She was 22 years old. At that time, she was the youngest woman allowed to practice law in Colorado.
Anne was part of the Honors Program in college. She was also an editor for her law school's magazine. She received a special scholarship called a Fulbright Scholarship. This allowed her to study criminal law in India for a year. She and her husband, David Gorsuch, traveled there together.
Early Career in Law and Politics
Anne Gorsuch first worked as a lawyer for a bank. Then, she became an assistant lawyer for Jefferson County, Colorado. She also worked as a lawyer for the City of Denver. Later, she was a lawyer for a phone company called Mountain Bell.
In 1975, she was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. This is a part of the state's government that makes laws. She served two terms, each lasting two years. She was recognized as an "Outstanding Freshman Legislator."
In 1980, she helped President-elect Reagan's team. She was part of a group that advised him on how the government should work. Soon after Reagan became president, Anne Gorsuch was chosen to lead the EPA. The Senate, which is part of Congress, approved her for the job. She started on May 5, 1981.
Leading the EPA
As the head of the EPA, Anne Gorsuch wanted to make the agency smaller. She believed that the federal government should give more power to individual states. She thought the EPA was too big. She also felt it was making too many rules for businesses.
During her time at the EPA, she cut the agency's budget by 22%. She also reduced the number of lawsuits against companies that polluted. Some rules about clean air were made less strict. She also allowed more spraying of certain pesticides. She hired new staff members who had worked in the industries that the EPA was supposed to regulate.
People who cared about the environment were worried. They said her changes might make pollution worse. They also thought she was trying to weaken the EPA.
Working with Companies
A small oil company called Thriftway Company asked to meet with Anne Gorsuch. They wanted to talk about rules for lead in gasoline. These rules were meant to lower the amount of lead in gasoline. The company asked for a break from these rules. They said they would have financial problems if they had to follow them.
In December 1981, Gorsuch met with the company. She told them she would not make them follow the rules. She said they could trust her promise.
Superfund Program Concerns
In 1982, Congress started to investigate the EPA. They were concerned about how the agency was handling the "Superfund." This was a large amount of money ($1.6 billion) used to clean up toxic waste sites. Congress believed the EPA was not using the money correctly. They thought some money was held back for political reasons.
Congress asked Anne Gorsuch for documents about this. She refused to give them the papers. Because of this, Congress found her in "contempt of Congress." This meant she was not cooperating with their investigation. She was the first head of a U.S. government agency to be cited for this.
The situation ended in early 1983. It was revealed that some officials said Gorsuch had held back money. This money was meant to clean up a toxic waste site in California. It was believed this was done to influence a political election.
The White House then allowed the documents to be given to Congress. Anne Gorsuch resigned from her job soon after, on March 3, 1983. She said the media and the investigation caused too much pressure.
Her Time at EPA
Looking back, Anne Gorsuch was proud of making the EPA smaller. She also felt frustrated by problems with managing staff. She said there was a conflict between what Congress wanted and her own goals. She believed she found a way to solve these conflicts.
She admitted that she and her staff were very busy fighting with Congress. This made it seem like the agency was not working well. But she said the agency still did its job. Her 22 months leading the EPA were seen as a very debated time.
After the EPA
President Reagan had promised Anne Gorsuch another job. In July 1984, he chose her to lead a committee about oceans and the atmosphere. Environmental groups did not like this choice. Gorsuch herself called the job a "nothing-burger." Both the House and Senate asked President Reagan to change his mind. In the end, Gorsuch decided not to take the position.
After leaving government, she wrote a book in 1986. It was called Are You Tough Enough? It was about her experiences. She then worked as a private lawyer in Colorado until she passed away.
Personal Life
Anne McGill married David Gorsuch after law school. They divorced in 1982. They had two sons, J. J. and Neil, and a daughter, Stephanie. Her son Neil Gorsuch became a Justice on the United States Supreme Court in 2017.
In 1983, Anne Gorsuch married Robert F. Burford. He was a rancher and also led a government agency. They had served together in the Colorado House of Representatives. They were in the process of getting a divorce when he died in 1993.
Anne Gorsuch died from cancer in 2004 in Aurora, Colorado. She was 62 years old.
Images for kids
-
Anne M. Gorsuch
