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.

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

Early life and career

Personal life

See also

References

External links