George B. Hartzog Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 7thDirector of the National Park Service | |
| In office January 9, 1964 – December 31, 1972 | |
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Conrad L. Wirth |
| Succeeded by | Ronald H. Walker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1920-03-17)March 17, 1920 |
| Died | June 27, 2008(2008-06-27) (aged 88) |
| Spouse | |
| Occupation | Lawyer,conservationist |
George Benjamin Hartzog Jr. (March 17, 1920 – June 27, 2008) was an American attorney andDirector of the National Park Service.
Admitted to the bar in South Carolina in 1942, he became an attorney for the General Land Office (now theBureau of Land Management) in the Department of the Interior in 1945, and six months later transferred to the National Park Service.
He moved to field assignments atGreat Smoky Mountains andRocky Mountain National Parks, and then made his name advancing theGateway Arch project as superintendent ofGateway Arch National Park (then known as Jefferson National Expansion Memorial) from 1959 to 1962. After briefly leaving the service, Hartzog returned as associate director in 1963 with the promise of succeedingConrad Wirth in January 1964. As Director, he served asStewart Udall’s right arm in achieving a remarkably productive legislative program that included 62 new parks, theNational Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and the Bible amendment to theAlaska Native Claims Settlement Act that led to establishment of the Alaska parks. He ordered theYosemite Firefall tradition discontinued in 1968. During his nine-year tenure, he enlarged the service's role in urban recreation,[2] historic preservation, interpretation, and environmental education.
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In 1969, NPS faced budget cuts. Harzog pioneered what became known as theWashington Monument syndrome political tactic and closed all national parks two days a week. As public outcry grew, Congress restored the funding.
Florida bankerCharles "Bebe" Rebozo, a close friend of Richard Nixon, encouraged the president to fire Hartzog in retaliation for receiving "a ticket from a park ranger inBiscayne National Park for [Rebozo] tying his boat illegally to an NPS administrative dock there."[3] Nixon fired Hartzog in December 1972, despite attempts bySecretary of the InteriorRogers Morton to talk the president out of his decision.[4]
Nixon opted to replace Hartzog with the White House head of travel arrangementRon Walker, an "unqualified appointment" who openly admitted "that he did not know the difference between the National Park Service and theBoy Scouts."[3] Former National Park Service directorJonathan B. Jarvis has credited Rebozo with indirectly bringing about the overly-politicized era of the Parks program administration, wherein NPS directors are expected to resign with the election of each new president.[3] Rebozo's influence on Nixon's firing of Hartzog has also been noted in Dr. Gil Lusk's 2019 bookNational Parks: Our Living National Treasures andA Conservative Environmentalist: The Life and Career of Frank Masland Jr.[5][6]
Following his dismissal, Hartzog practiced law in Washington, D.C.[7]
Hartzog died on June 27, 2008.[8] Upon his death, National Park Service historianRobert Utley called Hartzog "the greatest director in the history of the service" and "an empire builder."[8]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Director of the National Park Service 1964–1972 | Succeeded by |
