Ralph Arnold Tudor (March 19, 1902 – November 12, 1963) was an American builder, civil engineer and Under Secretary of the United States Interior Department. The Ralph A. Tudor Medal awarded by the Society of American Military Engineers is named for him.

Biography

Ralph Arnold Tudor was born in Colorado Springs on March 19, 1902, and grew up in western Oregon. He graduated from

Sutherlin High School Sutherlin High School is a public high school located in Sutherlin, Oregon, United States. Academics In 2008, 76% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma. Of 120 students, 91 graduated, 20 dropped out, two received a modified ...

in 1919. Tudor earned a degree in civil engineering specializing in hydraulics at Cornell University in June 1925. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in June 1923, and was an officer in the Corps of Engineers from June 1924 until leaving the Army in August 1929. Tudor later worked for a number of construction companies in the San Francisco area where he specialized in road and bridge construction. He married Mary Lucile Taylor in 1925, and they had one daughter. Tudor returned to the Army during World War II, serving as a colonel in the Corps of Engineers from March 1941 to April 1946. He was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

for his wartime service. After the war, he lived in San Francisco and then in Palo Alto, California. Tudor was acquainted with

Douglas McKay James Douglas McKay (June 24, 1893 – July 22, 1959) was an American businessman and politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. He served in World War I before going into business, where he was most successful as a car dealership owner in Salem ...

, a former governor of Oregon, who was appointed Secretary of the Interior by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In March 1953, McKay arranged to have Tudor appointed Under Secretary of the Interior. As Under Secretary, Tudor was responsible for much of the administrative work of the department. He helped select persons to run the various bureaus that were part of the Interior Department, including the Bureau of Mines, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Bonneville Power Administration. Tudor coordinated the Department's legislative program and was involved with a number of environmental issues that arose during the early years of the Eisenhower administration, including the

Hells Canyon Hells Canyon is a canyon in the Western United States, located along the border of eastern Oregon, a small section of eastern Washington and western Idaho. It is part of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area which is also located in p ...

and Echo Park controversies. Tudor served until September 1954 when he resigned to return to his construction business in California. He died from a heart attack at his home in

Atherton, California Atherton () is an List of municipalities in California, incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 7,188 as of 2020. Atherton is known for its wealth; in 1990 and 2019, Athe ...

on November 12, 1963, and was buried at West Point Cemetery.

References

External links

Papers of Ralph A. Tudor, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential LibraryFinding aid to the Tudor Engineering Company Records, Bancroft Library
1902 births 1963 deaths People from Colorado Springs, Colorado United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Oregon United States Army Corps of Engineers personnel American military engineers Cornell University College of Engineering alumni 20th-century American engineers United States Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army colonels People from San Francisco People from Palo Alto, California Eisenhower administration personnel United States Department of the Interior officials People from Atherton, California Burials at West Point Cemetery {{US-engineer-stub