Claude Raymond Wickard (February 28, 1893 – April 29, 1967) was a Democratic politician who served as the

Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments. The department includes several organi ...

during the administrations of Presidents

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

and

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

from 1940 to 1945.

Biography

Wickard was born on his family farm in

Carroll County, Indiana Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 20,155. The county seat is Delphi. Carroll County is part of the Lafayette, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Histor ...

, near Camden, on February 28, 1893. He was born to Iva Lenora (''née'' Kirkpatrick) and Andrew Jackson Wickard. He graduated from

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

in 1915 with a bachelor's degree in agriculture, and he was chosen as "Master Farmer of Indiana" in 1927 for his improvements in stock feeding and farming. He was elected from the

Indiana Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms ...

in 1932, and was appointed as Undersecretary of Agriculture. When Henry A. Wallace resigned as the

in September 1940 to run for Vice-President in the 1940 presidential election, Wickard was appointed to the post. Victory Garden Program

He was on the winning side in ''

Wickard v. Filburn ''Wickard v. Filburn'', 317 U.S. 111 (1942), is a United States Supreme Court decision that dramatically increased the regulatory power of the federal government. It remains as one of the most important and far-reaching cases concerning the New ...

,'' in which the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...

decided in a case that the federal government could control wheat that was grown in one state for the personal use of a farmer. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Wickard headed the

War Food Administration The War Food Administration was a Federal government of the United States, United States government agency that existed from 1943 to 1945. The War Food Administration was responsible for the production and distribution of food to meet war and essen ...

, promoting increased farmer production as a matter of patriotism. His slogan was "Food Will Win the War and Write the Peace." On January 18, 1943, Wickard banned the sale of presliced bread, possibly to save tools and wax paper, as required at the time. He resigned on June 29, 1945, to become Chief of the

Rural Electrification Administration The United States Rural Utilities Service (RUS) administers programs that provide infrastructure or infrastructure improvements to rural communities. These include water and waste treatment, electric power, and telecommunications services. it is ...

, where he served until 1953. He ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic candidate for the US Senate in 1956, losing to incumbent

Homer E. Capehart Homer Earl Capehart (June 6, 1897 – September 3, 1979) was an American businessman and politician from Indiana. After serving in the United States Army during World War I, he became involved in the manufacture of record players and other produc ...

. Wickard was killed in an automobile accident and died on April 29, 1967. Reportedly, he ran a stop sign at the intersection of

Indiana State Road 18 State Road 18 (SR 18) in the U.S. State of Indiana is an east–west route in North Central Indiana running from the Illinois border in Benton County almost to the Ohio border, terminating at U.S. Route 27 (US 27)/ State Road 67 (SR ...

and the

U.S. Highway 421 U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway runs for from Fort Fisher, North Caro ...

near

Delphi, Indiana Delphi () is a city in and the county seat of Carroll County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. Located twenty minutes northeast of Lafayette, it is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,893 at the 2010 c ...

, and his vehicle was hit by a crushed-stone truck. He is interred in Maple Lawn Cemetery in

Flora, Indiana Flora is a town in Monroe Township, Carroll County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,036 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office was established at Flora in 1873 ...

.Secretary killed in Indiana Crash
/ref>

References

External links

* 1893 births 1967 deaths Purdue University College of Agriculture alumni Road incident deaths in Indiana People from Carroll County, Indiana Democratic Party Indiana state senators Truman administration cabinet members Franklin D. Roosevelt administration cabinet members 20th-century American politicians United States Secretaries of Agriculture {{agri-stub

Biography

See also

References

External links