Amos Pinchot
Encyclopedia
Amos Richards Eno Pinchot (December 6, 1873 – February 18, 1944) was an American
reformist. He never held public office but managed to exert considerable influence in reformist circles and did much to keep progressive
ideas alive in the 1920s.
merchant and supporter of the conservation movement
. His siblings were the conservation leader Gifford Pinchot
, and Antoinette E. Pinchot who married Alan Johnstone. Educated at Yale
, where he was a member of the secret society Skull and Bones
, Amos earned a law degree in New York in order to manage his family's estates. In 1905, he served a year's political apprenticeship as a lobbyist for President Theodore Roosevelt
and returned to Washington again in 1909 to live and work with his brother Gifford during the Pinchot-Ballinger controversy
, which pitted his brother (recently fired as the US Forest Service chief) against President William Howard Taft
's Secretary of the Interior
. Taft had fired Gifford for insubordination, which inflamed the insurgent wing of the Republican Party
allied to Roosevelt.
Though a member of Roosevelt's inner circle during the Bull Moose
campaign of 1912, Amos exasperated the former president with his moralistic criticism of the role of big business in the party, including his criticism of the party chairman, George Walbridge Perkins, who was a leading industrialist and sat on the board of U.S. Steel
. Pinchot ultimately joined the Democratic Party
, defended the rights of workers, and became acquainted with leftist intellectuals. In 1924, he supported Robert La Follette
's presidential bid and wrote a history of the Progressive Party. His opposition to preparedness before World War I
, insistence that wartime profits be heavily taxed, strong anticommunism in his last years, and involvement in the America First Committee
alienated many political allies and made his last days difficult. He was a founding member in 1937 of the National Committee to Uphold Constitutional Government
.
He died in 1944.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
reformist. He never held public office but managed to exert considerable influence in reformist circles and did much to keep progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
ideas alive in the 1920s.
Biography
He was born on December 6, 1873 to James Pinchot, a ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
merchant and supporter of the conservation movement
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
. His siblings were the conservation leader Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service and the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania...
, and Antoinette E. Pinchot who married Alan Johnstone. Educated at Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he was a member of the secret society Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
, Amos earned a law degree in New York in order to manage his family's estates. In 1905, he served a year's political apprenticeship as a lobbyist for President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
and returned to Washington again in 1909 to live and work with his brother Gifford during the Pinchot-Ballinger controversy
Pinchot-Ballinger Controversy
The Pinchot–Ballinger controversy, also known as the "Ballinger Affair", was a dispute between U.S. Forest Service Chief Gifford Pinchot and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Richard Achilles Ballinger that contributed to the split of the Republican Party before the 1912 Presidential Election and...
, which pitted his brother (recently fired as the US Forest Service chief) against President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
's Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
. Taft had fired Gifford for insubordination, which inflamed the insurgent wing of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
allied to Roosevelt.
Though a member of Roosevelt's inner circle during the Bull Moose
Progressive Party (United States, 1912)
The Progressive Party of 1912 was an American political party. It was formed after a split in the Republican Party between President William Howard Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt....
campaign of 1912, Amos exasperated the former president with his moralistic criticism of the role of big business in the party, including his criticism of the party chairman, George Walbridge Perkins, who was a leading industrialist and sat on the board of U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
. Pinchot ultimately joined the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, defended the rights of workers, and became acquainted with leftist intellectuals. In 1924, he supported Robert La Follette
Robert M. La Follette, Sr.
Robert Marion "Fighting Bob" La Follette, Sr. , was an American Republican politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, was the Governor of Wisconsin, and was also a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin...
's presidential bid and wrote a history of the Progressive Party. His opposition to preparedness before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, insistence that wartime profits be heavily taxed, strong anticommunism in his last years, and involvement in the America First Committee
America First Committee
The America First Committee was the foremost non-interventionist pressure group against the American entry into World War II. Peaking at 800,000 members, it was likely the largest anti-war organization in American history. Started in 1940, it became defunct after the attack on Pearl Harbor in...
alienated many political allies and made his last days difficult. He was a founding member in 1937 of the National Committee to Uphold Constitutional Government
National Committee to Uphold Constitutional Government
The National Committee to Uphold Constitutional Government , also known as the Committee for Constitutional Government , was founded in 1937 in opposition to Franklin D. Roosevelt's Court Packing Bill. The Committee opposed most, if not all, of the New Deal legislation.Founders of the Committee...
.
He died in 1944.
External links
- Amos Pinchot from the Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
at Flickr Commons - Find a Grave
Further reading
- Pinchot, Nancy Pittman. "Amos Pinchot: Rebel Prince," Pennsylvania History 1999 66(2): 166–198. ISSN 0031-4528