Stewart Udall facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Stewart Udall
Udall in the 1960s

37th United States Secretary of the Interior
In office January 21, 1961 – January 20, 1969
President	John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Fred A. Seaton
Succeeded by	Wally Hickel
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1955 – January 18, 1961
Preceded by	Harold Patten
Succeeded by	Mo Udall

Personal details
Born	Stewart Lee Udall (1920-01-31)January 31, 1920 St. Johns, Arizona, U.S.
Died	March 20, 2010(2010-03-20) (aged 90) Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Ermalee Webb (m. 1947; ~~her death~~ 2001)
Children	6, including Tom
Education	Eastern Arizona College University of Arizona (LLB)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Unit	Fifteenth Air Force
Battles/wars	World War II

Stewart Lee Udall (January 31, 1920 – March 20, 2010) was an American politician. He was a member of the Democratic Party. After serving three terms as a congressman for Arizona, he became the Secretary of the Interior. He held this important job from 1961 to 1969. He worked under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Stewart Udall is best known for being a strong supporter of environmental protection. He helped create many new laws to protect nature.

Early Life and Education
Stewart Udall's Career
Death and Honors
Awards and Military Decorations
Personal Life and Family
See also

Early Life and Education

Stewart Udall was born on January 31, 1920. His hometown was Saint Johns, Arizona. He grew up on a family farm. His mother remembered him as a very energetic and curious child.

Stewart went to the University of Arizona for two years. Then, World War II began. He joined the Air Force and served for four years. He was a gunner on a B-24 Liberator plane. He flew fifty missions over Western Europe. He earned the Air Medal for his bravery.

After the war, he returned to the University of Arizona in 1946. He studied law there. He also played basketball on a championship team. In 1947, Stewart and his brother Mo helped make a big change at the university. They helped to end racial segregation in the cafeteria. Black students were allowed to buy food but had to eat outside. Stewart and Mo invited a black freshman, Morgan Maxwell Jr., to eat at their table. This helped to solve problems about segregation at the university.

Stewart Udall's Career

Stewart Udall became a lawyer in 1948. He started his law practice in Tucson. He also became active in public service. In 1951, he was elected to the School Board in Tucson. As a board member, he helped desegregate schools. This happened even before the U.S. Supreme Court made its famous ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.

In 1954, Udall was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented Arizona's Second District. He served three terms in Congress.

Secretary of the Interior: Protecting Our Planet

Udall (rear) standing next to Mrs. John F. Kennedy at the president's swearing-in ceremony, January 21, 1961

From 1961 to 1969, Stewart Udall was the United States Secretary of the Interior. This job means he was in charge of protecting America's natural resources and public lands. He worked under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Under his leadership, the Interior Department greatly expanded federal public lands. He helped add many new protected areas. These included:

Four new national parks
Six national monuments
Eight national seashores and lakeshores
Nine national recreation areas
Twenty national historic sites
Fifty-six national wildlife refuges

Some famous places added were Canyonlands National Park in Utah and Redwood National Park in California. He also helped protect the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

Udall was key in passing important environmental laws. These laws helped protect our air and water. They also protected wildlife and wilderness. Some of these laws include:

The Wilderness Act of 1964
The Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966
The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965

Promoting Fairness and Culture

In 1961, Udall took a stand against unfairness in sports. He told the owner of the Washington Redskins football team that they had to allow black players. All other NFL teams already had. This was a condition for using the new federal stadium. The team became integrated in 1962.

Udall also helped remove offensive words from government maps. In 1962, he pushed for a policy against using any ethnic slurs in map names.

He also helped boost arts and culture in America. He supported ideas that led to the Kennedy Center and the National Endowment for the Arts. He even suggested that President Kennedy ask a poet to read at his inauguration. This started a new tradition.

Lady Bird Johnson and Udall on a trip to Grand Teton National Park, August 1964

Udall was a true pioneer of the environmental movement. He wrote a best-selling book in 1963 called The Quiet Crisis. In this book, he warned about pollution and using too many natural resources. He also wrote about the loss of open spaces. This book, along with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, helped start the modern environmental movement. Udall strongly supported Rachel Carson's work. He once said, "Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact, plans to protect Man."

Udall also had a vision for using space technology. He pushed for NASA satellites to take pictures of Earth from space. This helped create the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) center. Over many years, this program mapped changes to our planet from space.

In 1967, the National Audubon Society gave Udall their highest award, the Audubon medal.

Later Years and Legacy

After leaving government in 1969, Udall continued to work for the environment. He taught at Yale University. He also wrote books and articles about environmental issues. In 1971, he published America's Natural Treasures. This book was about America's national parks and monuments.

In the 1970s, during an energy crisis, Udall spoke out for solar energy. He wrote articles and books about energy policy. He believed "less is more" when it came to using resources.

Udall received many awards for his work. These included the Ansel Adams Award and the United Nations Gold Medal. He also received an award for defending Americans affected by nuclear weapons testing.

In 2009, Congress honored Stewart Udall. They renamed the Morris K. Udall Foundation. It became the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation. This recognized his important contributions. Stewart and his brother Morris (Mo) worked together on many environmental projects. Their shared work greatly influenced environmental reform for decades.

One of Udall's last writings was a "Letter to My Grandchildren". In it, he asked his grandchildren to help protect the Earth. He also made a video about his views.

Death and Honors

Udall at home January 23, 2010, less than two months before his death

Stewart Udall passed away peacefully on March 20, 2010, at age 90. He died at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

After his death, President Obama praised Udall. He said Udall "left an indelible mark on this nation." He inspired many Americans to fight for clean air, clean water, and to protect natural treasures.

On June 8, 2010, President Obama signed a law. It named the United States Department of the Interior Building the "Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building."

Two important places in the U.S. are named after the Udall brothers. Point Udall in the U.S. Virgin Islands is named for Stewart. It marks the easternmost point of the U.S. Point Udall, Guam, is named for his brother Mo. It marks the westernmost point. This means "America's day... begin(s) and end(s) at a Point Udall."

Awards and Military Decorations

During his time in the Air Force, Udall earned several decorations:

Army Air Forces Aerial Gunner Badge

	Air Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters
	Presidential Unit Citation with bronze oak leaf cluster
	Army Good Conduct Medal
	American Campaign Medal
	European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two bronze campaign stars
	World War II Victory Medal

In 1967, he received the National Audubon Society's highest honor, the Audubon Medal.

Personal Life and Family

Stewart Udall was married to Ermalee Webb. They had two daughters and four sons, including Tom. Stewart's brother was Mo Udall, who was also a U.S. Representative. Stewart managed Mo's campaign when Mo ran for president in 1976.

Stewart Udall's son, Tom Udall, and his nephew, Mark Udall (Mo's son), both became U.S. Senators. Tom represented New Mexico, and Mark represented Colorado.

Udall was interviewed for two Ken Burns documentaries on PBS. These included The West and The National Parks: America's Best Idea. He spoke about his role as Secretary of the Interior in the National Parks documentary.

Stewart Udall was the last surviving original member of President Kennedy's cabinet.