Essay Database

Thoughout much of his life in politics, Pinchot's name had been occasionally thrown around as a possible Presidential candidate. It never happened. He was eventually elected to public office as Governor of Pennsylvania in 1922, largely through the support of rural counties and the new women's vote. During his 1923-1927 administration, his major goals were the regulation of electric power companies and the enforcement of Prohibition. In a crusade for "clean politics," he reorganized state government, …

…as he called them, and threatened to take control of the mines. Meanwhile, he became upset with a report from the Society of American Foresters, an organization he had basically founded. He called the organization "wishy washy" as the nation's forests continued to shrink through fire, erosion and massive neglect. Collaborating with Bob Marshall, the father of modern day wilderness, Pinchot wrote a letter chastising the forestry profession for its policy failures and "spiritual decay".