Douglas McKay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 35thUnited States Secretary of the Interior | |
| In office January 21, 1953 – April 15, 1956 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Oscar L. Chapman |
| Succeeded by | Fred A. Seaton |
| 25thGovernor of Oregon | |
| In office January 10, 1949 – December 27, 1952 | |
| Preceded by | John Hall |
| Succeeded by | Paul L. Patterson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Douglas McKay (1893-06-24)June 24, 1893 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | July 22, 1959(1959-07-22) (aged 66) Salem, Oregon, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Oregon State University, Corvallis |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
James Douglas McKay (June 24, 1893 – July 22, 1959) was an American businessman and politician from the U.S. state ofOregon. He served inWorld War I before going into business, where he was most successful as a car dealership owner inSalem.[1] ARepublican, he served as a city councilor and mayor of Salem before election to theOregon State Senate.[2] McKay served four terms in the state senate, also served stateside with the rank of major in the U.S. Army duringWorld War II, and was then elected as the twenty-fifthgovernor of Oregon in 1948. He left that office before the end of his term when he was selected as the thirty-fifth U.S.Secretary of the Interior during theEisenhower administration. McKay's conservative policies were denounced by environmentalists; they forced his resignation in 1956.
McKay was born inPortland, Oregon, to farmer Edwin D. McKay and his wife Minnie A. Musgrove. His family's limited means required him to work while still a schoolboy.[3] After his father's death in 1911, McKay was forced to leave school before receiving a high school diploma.[4]
He was admitted toOregon State College inCorvallis as an agriculture student at the age of twenty. McKay was elected student body president in 1916. He graduated with aBachelor of Science degree and married Mabel Christine Hill on March 31, 1917.[5] They had one son and two daughters: Douglas, Shirley and Marylou McKay.[3] In November of 1939, his son, Douglas Jr., died in an automobile accident.[6]
During World War I, he served with theUnited States Army in Europe, where he advanced to the rank offirst lieutenant.[3][7] He sustained an injury in battle to his leg, right arm, and shoulder, which earned him aPurple Heart.[7] Upon discharge, the disability prevented him from performing the strenuous activities involved with farming, so he began a business career in Portland selling insurance, and then automobiles, rising to the position of sales manager.[5] After the move to the sales manager position, the company sent him to Salem, where he was in charge of their dealership in that city.[5]
He opened Douglas McKayChevrolet Co. in 1927,[7] and later started aCadillac dealership as well.[5] McKay later served as president of the Oregon Automobile Dealer's Association.[8]
McKay won election to several local political offices as aRepublican, becoming mayor of Salem in 1932, and guided that city through fiscal troubles in the wake of theGreat Depression.[4] Steering his city into recovery, according to a contemporary journalist quoted by biographer Herbert S. Parmet, made McKay "a firm advocate of government as well as business preserving and guarding its financial foundation."[5]
McKay was elected to theOregon State Senate in 1934, serving four terms interrupted by service as a major in the Army during World War II.[3][8] In 1940, he was an alternatedelegate to theRepublican National Convention, which nominated theWillkie-McNaryticket.[9]
He was elected governor in 1948 on a platform offiscal conservatism andeconomic development.[7] As Governor, McKay took a balanced approach to state government. He was a strong advocate forresource conservation; however, he also supported cutting ofold growthtimber to create jobs for Oregonians. McKay actively opposed theFederal Government's plan to create aColumbia Valley Authority. He supported legislation to turn over 95 percent of the profits from theOregon Liquor Control Commission to the state's general fund with the remaining profits going toOregon cities based on population. He advocated expandingOregon's highway system, supporting a successfulbond issue that raised $75 million for theOregon State Highway Department.[7] McKay won reelection as governor in 1950.[10]
Tom McCall, who would later become governor, served as McKay's executive secretary and press officer between 1949 and 1951.[11]
Secretary McKay andDwight D. Eisenhower had significant ideological differences, the General being identified with theRepublican moderates, and McKay with theconservative wing. Fearing that conservativeSenator Robert A. Taft had little or no chance of winning thepresidency in 1952, and admiring Eisenhower for his military record and leadership qualities, McKay supported Eisenhower's candidacy early in the campaign. Upon his election, Eisenhower appointed McKay asSecretary of the Interior. McKay resigned as Oregon governor on December 27, 1952.[7][8]
As theU.S. Secretary of the Interior, McKay hoped to balance his concern for natural resources with fiscal and business acumen. Secretary McKay abolished five divisions within the Interior Department, cutting four thousand positions and reducing the budget by nearly $200 million.[4][7][12] He fostered partnerships involving the states, local public groups, private enterprise, and the Federal Government in building facilities and developing natural resources. However McKay worked to prevent the Columbia Valley Authority and protection of theHell's Canyon project. McKay created nine newwildlife reserves and he opposed the transfer ofWichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge property to the Army. However, he also advocated building a dam atEcho Park which would have floodedDinosaur National Monument. In Oregon, he allowed a mining company to harvest timber; for that, his critics dubbed him, "Giveaway McKay."[5] He also supportedIndian termination policy in 1954. Liberals and environmentalists strongly denounced him and he resigned in disgust in 1956.[13]
In 1954, McKay was featured on the cover of the edition of August 23 ofTime.[14]
At the urging of Eisenhower, McKay resigned March 9, 1956, effective April 15, 1956, to challenge incumbentWayne Morse for his seat in theUnited States Senate.[5] He lost a fierce campaign, in no small measure because of the opposition he had engendered among Oregon conservation groups.[4] Eisenhower replaced the more conservative McKay at Interior with aModerate Republican,Fred Andrew Seaton, a former short-term senator fromNebraska.
He died of aheart attack in Salem, Oregon, at the age of 66,[7] and was interred at Belcrest Memorial Park in Salem.[15]
Salem'sDouglas McKay High School, built in 1979, bears his name.[16]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Governor of Oregon 1949–1952 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of the Interior 1953–1956 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Oregon 1948,1950 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromOregon (Class 3) 1956 | Succeeded by |
