Julius Krug | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 33rdUnited States Secretary of the Interior | |
| In office March 18, 1946 – December 1, 1949 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Harold L. Ickes |
| Succeeded by | Oscar L. Chapman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1907-11-23)November 23, 1907 |
| Died | March 26, 1970(1970-03-26) (aged 62) |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Margaret Dean |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Wisconsin, Madison(BA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
Julius Albert Krug (November 23, 1907 – March 26, 1970) was a politician who served as theUnited States Secretary of the Interior for the administration ofPresidentHarry S. Truman from 1946 until 1949.
Krug was born November 23, 1907, inMadison, Wisconsin,[1] to son of Julius J. Krug (1877–1971) and the former Emma M. Korfmacher (1877–1949). Krug graduated from what is now theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison in 1929.
His first notable jobs were with theTennessee Valley Authority, where he started working as chiefpower engineer in 1938,[1] and then manager of power in 1940.[1] In 1941, Krug was promoted to chief of the power branch of theOffice of Production Management. After the beginning ofWorld War II, this office became theWar Production Board. Krug was promoted to director of theOffice of War Utilities in 1943. In April 1944, Krug enlisted in theUnited States Navy.[1] He was recalled that August to serve as chairman of the War Production Board, where he served until the board's dissolution in November 1945.
President Truman nominated Krug for the position of Secretary of the Interior on February 26, and he assumed office on March 18, 1946. As Secretary, Krug opposedlumber companies' efforts to gain logging rights to huge forests inWashington state, and opposed the building of unnecessarydams. As the administrator ofcoal mines in the United States, he led failed negotiations betweenJohn L. Lewis and mine owners in an attempt to end a nationwide strike by theUnited Mine Workers of America.
In 1948, Krug signed a contract whereby the tribe living at theFort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota was forced to sell 155,000 acres of its land for theGarrison Dam and reservoir project inNew Town, North Dakota. The reservoir flooded one-quarter of the reservation, destroying the tribal headquarters, the hospital, and 154,000 acres of fertile farm land.[2] George Gillette, chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, commented in 1948:
We will sign this contract with a heavy heart. With a few scratches of the pen, we will sell the best part of our reservation. Right now the future doesn’t look too good to us.[2]
In August 1949, Krug chaired the 19-member United States Citizens Committee that participated in the United Nations Scientific Conference on Conservation and Utilization of Resources, held atLake Success, New York. Other members of the committee includedHerbert Hoover,Thomas Watson,Howard E. Babcock, andRandolph Greene Pack.[3]
Krug resigned from the cabinet effective on December 1, 1949, and he moved on to the private industry as a utilities consultant in Washington. He also served as the chairman of the board ofBrookside Mills, and a cofounded theVolunteer Asphalt Company in theKnoxville, Tennessee.
Krug died inKnoxville, Tennessee on March 26, 1970, at the age of 62, and is interred atArlington National Cemetery inArlington, Virginia.[1] He and his wife, Margaret Catherine Dean, had two children; a daughter, Marilyn Krug Grether, and a son, James Allen Krug.[1]
Krug's affair withEdith Bouvier Beale ofGrey Gardens fame is portrayed in the 2009 HBO original filmGrey Gardens, where he is portrayed byDaniel Baldwin.
Krug is portrayed by actorDaniel Baldwin in theHBO original filmGrey Gardens (2009).[4]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | U.S. Secretary of the Interior Served under:Harry S. Truman 1946–1949 | Succeeded by |
