Donald P. Hodel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donald Hodel
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| 45th United States Secretary of the Interior | |
| In office February 8, 1985 – January 20, 1989 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | William P. Clark Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Manuel Lujan Jr. |
| 4th United States Secretary of Energy | |
| In office November 5, 1982 – February 7, 1985 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | James B. Edwards |
| Succeeded by | John S. Herrington |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Donald Paul Hodel
May 23, 1935 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Barbara Stockman (1957–2012) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) University of Oregon (LLB) |
Donald Paul Hodel (born May 23, 1935) is an American former politician. He served in important roles for the United States government. He was the United States Secretary of Energy and later the Secretary of the Interior. Both of these jobs were under President Ronald Reagan.
As Secretary of the Interior, Hodel was known for something called the "Hodel Policy." This policy said that old, unused dirt roads and paths could still be considered official right-of-ways. This was important for how land was used.
There was a misunderstanding once about a statement falsely linked to Hodel. A newspaper reported that he suggested people wear hats and use sunscreen instead of reducing chemicals that harm the ozone layer. This was not true. Hodel never made that statement.
Early Life and Education
Donald Hodel was born in Portland, Oregon, on May 23, 1935. His parents were Philip E. Hodel and Theresia R. Brodt Hodel. He went to Harvard University for his college education.
In 1957, he married Barbara Beecher Stockman. She was from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and went to Wellesley College. They got married during her last year of college.
After graduating, the Hodels moved to Oregon. Donald Hodel then earned his law degree from the University of Oregon. While living in Oregon, they had two sons. Barbara became a full-time mother.
Government Career
From 1972 to 1977, Donald Hodel worked as the administrator for the Bonneville Power Administration. This organization manages electric power in the Pacific Northwest. He believed the region would need a lot of power from new nuclear plants.
Hodel served as the United States Secretary of Energy from 1982 to 1985. After that, he became the Secretary of the Interior from 1985 to 1989. Both of these roles were during President Ronald Reagan's time in office. Before these jobs, he was an Undersecretary of the Interior.
As Secretary of the Interior, Hodel tried to bring in new ways to manage large amounts of federal land. He also worked to create many new wilderness areas. Despite some disagreements, the Reagan administration added over two million acres to the national wilderness system. The "Hodel policy" continued for a while under the next president, George H. W. Bush. However, it was later stopped in 1997.
Donald Hodel once wrote about his time in government. He said that President Reagan's team believed America could have both a better environment and enough energy. He felt that people did not have to choose between these two important goals.
While he was Secretary, Hodel suggested studying the idea of removing the O'Shaughnessy Dam. This dam is in Yosemite National Park and created a lake in Hetch Hetchy Valley. The idea was to bring the valley back to its natural state. However, the city of San Francisco owns the dam, and its former mayor, Dianne Feinstein, stopped the study from happening.
In 1985, a situation arose involving the Navajo Nation and a coal company. The Navajo Nation had asked for a fair price for coal from their land. Secretary Hodel met with a representative from the coal company. After this meeting, he approved a lower price for the coal than what had been suggested by other government agencies. Later, in 2007, a court decided that these actions did not properly protect the Navajo Nation's interests.
After Government Service
After his government career, Donald Hodel moved to Colorado. There, he worked as an energy consultant. He also served on the boards of various charities and companies. He wrote a book called Crisis in the Oil Patch in 1995.
From 1997 to 1999, Hodel was the president of the Christian Coalition of America. This is a group that works to promote conservative political ideas.
He also served as president and CEO of Focus on the Family from 2003 to 2005. This is a Christian organization. Hodel said his job was to help the organization transition to a new leader. He had been on their board before and stayed on it for a while after his presidency.
Hodel was also the chairman of a company called FreeEats.com. This company used automated phone calls to share information about conservative causes.
Environmental Efforts
As Secretary of the Interior, Donald Hodel made an important decision in 1985. He ordered the government to buy a ranch in southern Arizona. This land became the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.
This refuge covers about 118,000 acres of grassland. It was created to protect the masked bobwhite quail. This bird is very rare, and this refuge is home to the only population of masked bobwhite quail in the United States.
As of 2023, Hodel is the chairman emeritus at Summit Power Group, Inc. This company is based in Seattle and develops power plants that use wind, solar, and natural gas. He was also the founder of the company's predecessor in 1989.
