Ruth Chickering Clusen (June 11, 1922 – March 14, 2005) was an American conservationist,

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

activist, and government official. She is remembered for serving as the president of the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

, for hosting the debates between

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

and

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

, and for serving as the Assistant Secretary of Energy under President Jimmy Carter.

Early life

Clusen was born in

Bruce, Wisconsin Bruce is a village in Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 779 at the 2010 census. The village was founded in 1884 by the Sault Ste. Marie Land and Improvement Company. The land company was incorporated and led by the princi ...

. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, graduating in 1945 with a degree in secondary education. She began her career as a teacher at the Blackfoot Indian Reservation in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

Career

Clusen began her national career as the president of the

, a position she held from 1974 to 1978. During her tenure, Clusen was instrumental in bringing issues relating to the environment to national attention. She was especially concerned with water purity, a fixation that stemmed from her time spent in Green Bay where water contamination was a problem. Additionally, Clusen fought for women's rights. She was a leading figure in the League's ultimately unsuccessful attempt to ratify an equal rights amendment for women. Additionally, in her role as president, Clusen served as the presidential debate moderator for

and

. Her role as moderator was famously parodied by

Lily Tomlin Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. She started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing off-Broadway during the 1960s. Her breakout role was on the vari ...

on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

''. After Carter won the election, he appointed Clusen to serve as the Assistant Secretary for the Environment at the

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...

. She held the position from 1978 to 1981. Clusen worked for a reduction of

fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels m ...

consumption at the Energy Department. After an unsuccessful bid for the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

, Clusen finished her career as a member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, the governing body of the University of Wisconsin System.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clusen, Ruth University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire alumni United States Department of Energy officials American environmentalists American women environmentalists American women's rights activists 1922 births 2005 deaths People from Rusk County, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin people 20th-century American women 21st-century American women