John Rusling Block (born February 15, 1935) is a former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, during the Reagan administration. He later became a lobbyist.

Early life

Block was born in

Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria. At the 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical ...

, on February 15, 1935. Of German descent, Block was the son of Julius Judd Block and Madeline (née Maddy) Block. He came from a strongly rural background where the home had no electricity. He graduated from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

in 1957 and served in

101st Airborne The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

. After that, he became successful in agribusiness.

Government services

Block was 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 ...

whose agriculture successes formed the basis for his position as the Illinois Director of Agriculture. This led to him becoming the Secretary of Agriculture in President Ronald Reagan's administration. He was involved in the 1985 Farm Bill Act. Block was a Secretary of Agriculture, when more farmers lost their farms than at any time since the Great Depression of the 1930s. During his term as Secretary, a Federal court judge ruled in a due process decision, ''Coleman vs. Block'', 663 FSupp 1315, 1332 (D.N.D. 1987), that the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

("USDA") and Farmers Home Administration ("FmHA") were not giving farmers enough notice of alternative debt restructuring options. The Court ordered the USDA and FmHA to amend the forms issued to farmers. The decision eventually led to restructuring and reorganization of many farm debts. During the U.S. government's appeal of the decision, Congress passed the

Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 In United States federal agriculture legislation, the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 () was enacted in response to the severe financial crisis of the early- to mid-1980s, which affected both farmers and their lending institutions. The Act auth ...

, Pub. L. No. 100-233, 101 Stat. 1568 (1988). Title VI of the Act made extensive changes in the statutory provisions which had formed the background for the ''Coleman'' litigation, the changes being designed to carry out the intent of the ''Coleman'' decisions. In June 1981, Secretary Block invited agricultural and educational leaders willing to work cooperatively toward the common goal of educating the public about the role of agriculture to a workshop in Washington, DC. The resulting task force recommended that the U.S. Department of Agriculture help coordinate local and stat
Agriculture in the Classroom
efforts. Th
Declaration of Principle
was announced by Secretary of Agriculture John Block with a fanfare on Ag Day, March 21, 1983. The Declaration of Principle spelled out the purpose of the Agriculture in the Classroom program and featured the signatures of all seven living former Secretaries of Agriculture. There are no
Agriculture in the Classroom
programs in every state and many U.S. Territories. Canada, with assistance from USDA, developed a
Agriculture in the Classroom
program in every Province as well as a national organization. Countries around the world are interested in Agriculture in the Classroom because they have experienced the same needs in agricultural education.

Post-government career

Since then he has been an executive at John Deere and is President of Food Distributors International. In 1992, he won the Horatio Alger Award. He has been the active in global food programs as well. In 2004, he joined the Board of Directors of "Digital Angel", which is more of an Internet company. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Friends of the World Food Program (currently known as World Food Program USA), a non-profit dedicated to supporting the UN World Food Program and its efforts to end global hunger. He is a Senior Policy Adviser at Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz, a Washington law and lobbying firm that specializes in representing interests before the USDA and related federal agencies. Since 2008, he has served on the Board of Directors for Aemetis.

Private life

He married Susan Rathje "Sue" Block, a cousin of famed Chicago banker Frank C. Rathje. He and Susan had one son and two daughters: Hans, Cynthia and Christine. He was a very large farmer outside of Knoxville, Illinois and his children attended public school in Knoxville, Illinois. He has a daughter, Savannah, with his second wife and they live in Dunn Loring, Virginia.

External links

John Block profile from a site on Presidents

Horatio Alger Award siteJohn Block Reports
Archived radio commentary from John Block's weekly radio spot about agriculture and government * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Block, John R. 1935 births Living people Businesspeople from Illinois American food industry businesspeople United States Secretaries of Agriculture Reagan administration cabinet members Military personnel from Illinois 20th-century American politicians United States Army officers United States Military Academy alumni People from Galesburg, Illinois American people of German descent John Deere