Roger G. Kennedy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 14thDirector of the National Park Service | |
| In office June 1, 1993 – March 29, 1997 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | James M. Ridenour |
| Succeeded by | Robert Stanton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 3, 1926 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.[1] |
| Died | September 30, 2011(2011-09-30) (aged 85) Rockville, Maryland, U.S. |
| Spouse | Frances Kennedy |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota Law School |
| Occupation | Banking, television production, historical writing, museum administration |
Roger George Kennedy (August 3, 1926 – September 30, 2011) was an Americanpolymath whose career included banking, television production, historical writing, and museum administration, the last as director of theSmithsonian Institution'sNational Museum of American History, before theBill Clinton administration selected him to head theNational Park Service in 1993. He was especially concerned about expanding the service's educational role and moved to enlarge its presence beyond the parks via the Internet.
Kennedy graduated from theUniversity of Minnesota Law School in 1952. He unsuccessfully ran forCongress in 1952 as aRepublican, later becoming aDemocrat. In 1953, he moved toWashington, D.C. where he worked as a civil trial lawyer with the Department of Justice and served as special assistant to theU.S. Attorney General and to the secretaries of theDepartment of Labor and theDepartment of Health, Education, and Welfare. He rose to national notice in 1955 as a news correspondent covering the Supreme Court and the White House forNBC, for which he also wrote and produced television documentaries and hosted a radio program.[2]
Returning to Minnesota in the 1960s, Kennedy worked as a bank chairman in St. Paul and then as vice president for investments for theUniversity of Minnesota, along with being a founder of theGuthrie Theater inMinneapolis. In 1969 theFord Foundation brought him on as vice president for finance.[2]
The Clinton administration appointed him as Director of the National Park Service in 1993. During his tenure, the NPS restructured its field operations and sharply reduced its central office staffs as part of a government-wide effort to downsize the federal bureaucracy. Kennedy resigned at the end of President Clinton's first term in 1997.[3]
He was married to Frances Kennedy.[2]
He died frommelanoma on September 30, 2011, at the age of 85.[4][5]
He published a favorable study ofAaron Burr--arguing he had a better character thanThomas Jefferson.Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson: A Study in Character 2000 Oxford University Press.[6]
"The Human Element" 2001 The George Wright Society. All rights reserved. First published in THE GEORGE WRIGHT FORUM, Volume 18, No. 2.
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| Preceded by | Director of the National Park Service 1993–1997 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
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