Richard Edmund Lyng (June 29, 1918 – February 1, 2003) was a U.S.
administrator. A
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, he served as the
secretary of agriculture between 1986 and 1989.
Early life and career
Lyng was born on June 29, 1918, in
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
. He was the son of Edmund John Lyng, the founder of a California agricultural products company, and his wife, Sara Cecilia (McGrath). He graduated from the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...
. He served in the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
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 opposing ...
.
In the mid-1950s, Lyng went into business and eventually became president of the Ed. J. Lyng Co., a seed and bean processing company. In 1973, Lyng became the President of the American Meat Institute, serving until 1979.
In 1980, Lyng was appointed to
deputy secretary of agriculture, and then
secretary of agriculture under President
Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
's cabinet, serving from 1986 to 1989.
He was chosen as one of the charter members of the Meat Industry Hall of Fame in 2009.
Personal life
Lyng married Bethyl Ball on June 25, 1944. They had two daughters, Jeannette Lyng Robinson and Marylin Lyng O'Connell. Bethyl Lyng died in 2000.
Lyng died of complications from
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
in
Modesto, California, on February 1, 2003.
See also
*''
Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Ass'n
''Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association'', 485 U.S. 439 (1988), was a United States Supreme Court landmark case in which the Court ruled on the applicability of the Free Exercise Clause to the practice of religion on Native Am ...
''
References
External links
*
1918 births
2003 deaths
Deaths from Parkinson's disease
Neurological disease deaths in California
United States Secretaries of Agriculture
Reagan administration cabinet members
20th-century American politicians
Politicians from San Francisco
People from Modesto, California
Military personnel from California
20th-century American businesspeople
United States Deputy Secretaries of Agriculture
{{Agri-stub