HENRY CANTWELL WALLACE HEN ENRY CANTWELL WALLACE-Secretary of Agriculture from March 6, 1921, to October 25, 1924. Born at Rock Island, Illinois, May 11, 1866. Son of Henry and Nannie (Cantwell) Wallace. Educated at Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. November 24, 1887, Miss Carrie May Broadhead. Died in Washington, District of Columbia, October 25, 1924. 1921-Secretary of Agriculture. Married, Mr. Wallace removed with his parents from Illinois to Iowa and he began fitting himself for a collegiate education. Living on a farm he became deeply interested in agriculture and when prepared for college he matriculated at the Iowa Agricultural College, where he completed two years of the course in one year. Called home to assist his father in the management of his farm he pursued his studies in the interval of farm work. He was out of the college for about five years when he again became a student there and completed the whole course in one year. After receiving his degree he once more took up the active work on the farm, becoming a breeder of pure-bred livestock. In 1893 he was called to the Iowa State College as professor of dairying. He wrote much for papers devoted to agriculture and for some time was editor of the Creamery Gazette. He established Wallace's Farmer in 1895, a paper that soon became an authority on all matters connected with agricultural interests. He was active in civic affairs and those of the Young Men's Christian Association. Mr. Wallace's activities extended over the whole agricultural belt, however. He was a member of the executive committee of the United States Livestock Industry Commission, and for fourteen years was secretary of the Corn Belt Meat Producers' Association. He was permanent chairman of the National Shippers' Conference. During the war Mr. Wallace was active as a member of the National War Work Council of the Young Men's Christian Association and took a particularly prominent part in Iowa committees of the Young Men's Christian Association. He was a member of the United Presbyterian Church and a Free Mason. When President Harding announced the selection of Mr. Wallace as head of the Department of Agriculture it received the commendation of the agricultural interests with hardly an exception. His administration of the department was successful in all points and his death was sincerely regretted. When Secretary of the Interior Fall proposed the transfer to his department the national forest reserves Secretary Wallace so strongly opposed it that he finally won out. Seemingly he was guided by one idea alone, that of improving agriculture in the United States and to better the condition of those engaged in farming. Under Secretary Wallace's administration, while productive research was continued, it was recognized that net profits to the farmers were of greater importance in maintaining a permanent agriculture, hence that marketing, based on intelligent market conditions, was the foundation of success. Under previous administrations information had been sent out to the farmers by mail and, later, by radio, from day to day, showing daily market prices, but Mr. Wallace recognized that that was too late to guide the farmers in planning their crops or in their stock breeding. The farmers needed to know the world conditions before they decided what crops to sow or what line of stock to breed. Hence he established systems to procure from consuls and other sources throughout the world such information as to crop and supply conditions six months ahead of harvest, or meat conditions a year in advance. These data were sent broadcast over the land in time to be of real aid to farmers and breeders. All lines of farm economics were carefully studied. Stress was laid upon sane co-operation and a recognition of the interdependence of agriculture with other enterprises. H HOWARD M. GORE OWARD M. GORE-Secretary of Agriculture from November 22, 1924, to March 4, 1925. Born near Clarksburg, Virginia (now West Virginia), October 12, 1877. Son of Solomon D. and Marietta P. (Rogers) Gore. Educated at West Virginia University. Married Roxilene C. Bailey. 1923-Assistant Secretary of Agriculture. 1925-Governor of West Virginia. Howard M. Gore, Secretary of Agriculture of the United States, was born on a farm located three miles north of Clarksburg, West Virginia. With the exception of four years spent at the West Virginia University, where he graduated with the degree of bachelor of arts, Secretary Gore has spent his life as a farmer and livestock raiser and has been intimately associated with agricultural development in his home state. He is still extensively interested in farming operations, although the work for the time being is being conducted by members of his family. For years Secretary Gore and members of his family have been prominently identified with the livestock industry of their state. It was back in 1778 that his mother's people first came to the bluegrass section of West Virginia. His father's family settled there somewhat later, in 1842. During the twenty years prior to 1921, when Secretary Gore first took an active interest in public life, he was a producer of cattle, hogs, sheep and horses. Until beef exports from this country fell off, much of his finished livestock was shipped to foreign countries where it sold at a premium. Besides being an exhibitor of pure-bred livestock at county and state fairs, Secretary Gore has been intimately identified with livestock ex hibitions and development in many parts of the country. As a recognition for his work and interest in the welfare of the livestock industry from a national point of view, he was made a life member of the International Livestock Exposition and has taken an active part in its program for several years. He has served terms as president of livestock associations in West Virginia and has been very active in local and national farm organization work in recent years. He was a member of the Committee of Fifteen named by the American Farm Bureau Federation to study livestock marketing conditions and has a wide acquaintance with range and market cattlemen extending over a period of years. At the request of national farm organizations, Secretary Gore went to Washington in the fall of 1921 as an official of the Packers and Stockyards Administration of the United States Department of Agriculture. This marked his first entry into public life. In his official capacity in the Administration of the Packers and Stockyards Act he was frequently called upon to act as arbitrator in cases between the department and agencies coming under the provisions of the law. One of the last pieces of work for which he was credited before leaving the Packers and Stockyards Administration was to act as one of two arbitrators in a case involving rates for selling livestock at four of the principal markets. The decision in this case resulted in the annual saving to livestock producers of several hundred thousand dollars. On September 17, 1923, Mr. Gore was appointed Assistant Secretary of Agriculture by President Coolidge upon recommendation of Secretary Henry C. Wallace to fill the vacancy left by Assistant Secretary C. W. Pugsley. It was only a little more than a year after Mr. Gore assumed the office of Assistant Secretary that the people of his state elected him governor of West Virginia. Upon the death of Secretary Wallace on October 25, 1924, Mr. Gore immediately gave up his campaign as Republican candidate for governor of his state and went to Washington, where he assumed duties as Acting Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. On November 22 he was appointed Secretary of Agriculture by President Coolidge. Although Secretary Gore has spent most of his life in actual farm operations on a comparatively large scale, he has found time to associate himself with farm organization work. When named Assistant Secretary of Agriculture he was indorsed by practically every farm organization in the country. This same expression came from farm organizations at the time he was appointed Secretary. He is perhaps particularly known for his work in connection with the establishment and organization of farm boys' and girls' clubs. This movement, which got its original start in an organized way in West Virginia, has since spread to all parts of the country and has expanded until at the present time in the neighborhood of five hundred thousand boys and girls are actively interested. |