The Nation's First Forester-in-Chief: The Overlooked Role of FDR and the Environment

36 Pages Posted: 14 Feb 2017 Last revised: 3 Dec 2017

See all articles by Michael C. Blumm

Michael C. Blumm

Lewis & Clark College - Lewis & Clark Law School; Lewis & Clark College Paul L Boley Library

Date Written: February 13, 2017

Abstract

Douglas Brinkley, biographer of Theodore Roosevelt and his environmental legacy, has produced a sequel on his distant cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). In a comprehensive eco-biography, Brinkley shows in some detail how committed an environmentalist FDR was, protecting federal lands, encouraging state conservation efforts, making wildlife protection a national priority, and dedicating the federal government to soil protection and forest replanting. Although FDR’s romance with federal dams undercuts the assertion somewhat, the Brinkley biography successfully shows that FDR has a legitimate claim to being the foremost of environmental American presidents.

Keywords: environmental history, public lands, environmental law, wildlife law, politics, natural resources

JEL Classification: H23, H41, K11, K23, K32, N52, O13, Q23, Q24, Q28, Q58

Suggested Citation

Blumm, Michael C., The Nation's First Forester-in-Chief: The Overlooked Role of FDR and the Environment (February 13, 2017). 33 Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law, 2017, Fall 2017, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2916531 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2916531

Michael C. Blumm (Contact Author)

Lewis & Clark College - Lewis & Clark Law School ( email )

10101 S. Terwilliger Boulevard
Portland, 97219-7762

Lewis & Clark College Paul L Boley Library ( email )

10015 S.W. Terwilliger Blvd.
Portland, OR 97219
United States
503-768-6824 (Phone)
503-768-6701 (Fax)

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