Stephen Tyng Mather
Encyclopedia
Stephen Tyng Mather was an American industrialist and conservationist
. As the president and owner of the Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company
, he became a millionaire. With the journalist Robert Sterling Yard
, Mather led a publicity campaign to promote the creation of a federal agency to oversee National Parks, which was established in 1916.
In 1917 Mather was appointed as the first director of the new agency, the National Park Service
, within the United States Department of the Interior
, and served until 1929. He created a professional civil service organization, increased the numbers of parks and national monuments in the system, and established criterion for adding new properties in a systematic way.
minister Stephen Tyng of New York, whom his parents Joseph W. Mather and Bertha Jemima Walker admired. He was educated at the private Boys' High School in the city. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1887. Soon after that, the family moved to New York, where his father was a senior manager of Pacific Coast Borax Company
.
in 1893. They had one daughter, Bertha Floy Mather. In 1906, Mather became the sole owner of the Mather Homestead in Connecticut, which had been built by his great-grandfather about 1778. He and his family used it during the summers and he regarded it as his true home.
until 1893. There he met and befriended Robert Sterling Yard
, also a reporter, and served as best man at his wedding in 1893.
Mather started working for the Pacific Coast Borax Company
at its headquarters in New York, where his father was administrator. Borax was a component of a variety of detergents and compounds, and was mined in California. In 1894 the younger Mather moved with his wife to Chicago
, where he established a distribution center for the company. In this role, he proved vital in advertising and sales promotion for the company, and in particular is credited with the idea of adding the label "20 Mule Team Borax" to the company's product, which subsequently became a household name throughout the country.
In 1898 Mather helped a friend Thorkildsen in starting another borax
company. After suffering a severe episode of bipolar disorder
in 1903 and having his salary withheld during extended sick leave, Mather resigned from Pacific Coast and joined Thorkildsen full time in 1904. They named their firm the Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company. They built their company into a prospering business, whose success made them millionaires by 1914. This gave Mather the financial freedom to pursue other projects.
Traveling with his wife Jane in Europe in 1904 renewed Mather's longtime interest in nature. Seeing the parks of Europe and their accessibility, Mather was inspired to work to preserve more parkland in the US, to encourage new transportation methods to reach them, and to protect scenic resources and natural areas for all the people.
, and climbed Mount Rainier with some of its members the following year. He was active in the group and made numerous allies who helped support the creation of the National Park Service. In 1916 the Sierra Club made him an honorary vice-president.
, Franklin K. Lane, and deplored the state of the parks, he began building support for better management of the system by the federal government. In 1915, Lane appointed Mather as his assistant to work on the parks issues. At the time, the government owned 14 parks and 18 national monuments, many administered by Army officers or political appointees, as battlefields were among the first parks designated. He used his personal funds to Robert Sterling Yard to work with him on publicizing the great resources of the parks. Mather was effective in building support for the parks with a variety of politicians and wealthy corporate leaders; he also led efforts to publicize the National Parks and develop wider appreciation for their scenic places among the population. He appointed Yard as head of the National Park Education Committee to coordinate their various communication efforts.
In 1916 the National Park Service was authorized by Congress and approved by the president. Mather helped establish the new federal agency to protect and manage the national parks, together with a new appreciation for the parks. In addition, he professionalized management of the parks, creating a cadre of career civil service people who were specialists in a variety of disciplines, to operate and manage the parks while preserving their natural character.
In 1917 Mather was appointed Assistant Secretary of Interior and head of the National Park Service. Due to his success in working with leaders of various groups and the Congress, he served until 1929. He believed that magnificent scenery should be the first criterion in establishing a national park, and made efforts to have new parks established before the lands were developed for other purposes.
He introduced concessions to the national parks. Among the services they sold were basic amenities and necessities to park visitors, plus aids for studying nature. Mather promoted the creation of the National Park to Park Highway
. He also encouraged cooperation with the railroads
to increase visitation to normally remote units of the National Park System. He believed that once more of the public had visited the parks, they would become supporters for the fledgling agency and its holdings. By the time he left his position, the park system included 20 national parks and 32 national monuments. Mather also had created the criteria for identifying and adopting new parks and monuments.
Periodically disabled by bipolar disorder
(manic-depression), Mather had to take some leaves from work. In January 1929 he suffered a stroke
and had to leave office. He died a year later.
Other types of places were named for him:
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
. As the president and owner of the Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company
Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company
Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company was a borax mining company founded in 1898 by Stephen Mather and Thomas Thorkildsen. The two men were both employees of Francis Marion "Borax" Smith's Pacific Coast Borax Company, but they left the company to form this new company and went into direct competition...
, he became a millionaire. With the journalist Robert Sterling Yard
Robert Sterling Yard
Robert Sterling Yard was an American writer, journalist, and wilderness activist. Born in Haverstraw, New York, Yard graduated from Princeton University and spent the first twenty years of his career in the editing and publishing business...
, Mather led a publicity campaign to promote the creation of a federal agency to oversee National Parks, which was established in 1916.
In 1917 Mather was appointed as the first director of the new agency, the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, within the United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
, and served until 1929. He created a professional civil service organization, increased the numbers of parks and national monuments in the system, and established criterion for adding new properties in a systematic way.
Early life and education
Stephen Tyng Mather was born in San Francisco, and named for the prominent EpiscopalEpiscopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
minister Stephen Tyng of New York, whom his parents Joseph W. Mather and Bertha Jemima Walker admired. He was educated at the private Boys' High School in the city. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1887. Soon after that, the family moved to New York, where his father was a senior manager of Pacific Coast Borax Company
Pacific Coast Borax Company
The Pacific Coast Borax Company was a United States mining company founded in 1890 by the American borax magnate Francis "Borax" Smith, the "Borax King".-History:...
.
Marriage and family
He married Jane Thacker Floy of Elizabeth, New JerseyElizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
in 1893. They had one daughter, Bertha Floy Mather. In 1906, Mather became the sole owner of the Mather Homestead in Connecticut, which had been built by his great-grandfather about 1778. He and his family used it during the summers and he regarded it as his true home.
Career
Mather worked as a reporter for the New York SunNew York Sun
The New York Sun was a weekday daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 to 2008. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of an otherwise unrelated earlier New York paper, The Sun , it became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started...
until 1893. There he met and befriended Robert Sterling Yard
Robert Sterling Yard
Robert Sterling Yard was an American writer, journalist, and wilderness activist. Born in Haverstraw, New York, Yard graduated from Princeton University and spent the first twenty years of his career in the editing and publishing business...
, also a reporter, and served as best man at his wedding in 1893.
Mather started working for the Pacific Coast Borax Company
Pacific Coast Borax Company
The Pacific Coast Borax Company was a United States mining company founded in 1890 by the American borax magnate Francis "Borax" Smith, the "Borax King".-History:...
at its headquarters in New York, where his father was administrator. Borax was a component of a variety of detergents and compounds, and was mined in California. In 1894 the younger Mather moved with his wife to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he established a distribution center for the company. In this role, he proved vital in advertising and sales promotion for the company, and in particular is credited with the idea of adding the label "20 Mule Team Borax" to the company's product, which subsequently became a household name throughout the country.
In 1898 Mather helped a friend Thorkildsen in starting another borax
Borax
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.Borax has a wide variety of uses...
company. After suffering a severe episode of bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
in 1903 and having his salary withheld during extended sick leave, Mather resigned from Pacific Coast and joined Thorkildsen full time in 1904. They named their firm the Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company. They built their company into a prospering business, whose success made them millionaires by 1914. This gave Mather the financial freedom to pursue other projects.
Traveling with his wife Jane in Europe in 1904 renewed Mather's longtime interest in nature. Seeing the parks of Europe and their accessibility, Mather was inspired to work to preserve more parkland in the US, to encourage new transportation methods to reach them, and to protect scenic resources and natural areas for all the people.
Civic activities
Mather was active in many groups: the Chicago City Club and Municipal Voter's League. In 1904 he joined the Sierra ClubSierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
, and climbed Mount Rainier with some of its members the following year. He was active in the group and made numerous allies who helped support the creation of the National Park Service. In 1916 the Sierra Club made him an honorary vice-president.
National Park Service
Beginning in 1913, when Mather wrote to the Secretary of the InteriorUnited 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...
, Franklin K. Lane, and deplored the state of the parks, he began building support for better management of the system by the federal government. In 1915, Lane appointed Mather as his assistant to work on the parks issues. At the time, the government owned 14 parks and 18 national monuments, many administered by Army officers or political appointees, as battlefields were among the first parks designated. He used his personal funds to Robert Sterling Yard to work with him on publicizing the great resources of the parks. Mather was effective in building support for the parks with a variety of politicians and wealthy corporate leaders; he also led efforts to publicize the National Parks and develop wider appreciation for their scenic places among the population. He appointed Yard as head of the National Park Education Committee to coordinate their various communication efforts.
In 1916 the National Park Service was authorized by Congress and approved by the president. Mather helped establish the new federal agency to protect and manage the national parks, together with a new appreciation for the parks. In addition, he professionalized management of the parks, creating a cadre of career civil service people who were specialists in a variety of disciplines, to operate and manage the parks while preserving their natural character.
In 1917 Mather was appointed Assistant Secretary of Interior and head of the National Park Service. Due to his success in working with leaders of various groups and the Congress, he served until 1929. He believed that magnificent scenery should be the first criterion in establishing a national park, and made efforts to have new parks established before the lands were developed for other purposes.
He introduced concessions to the national parks. Among the services they sold were basic amenities and necessities to park visitors, plus aids for studying nature. Mather promoted the creation of the National Park to Park Highway
National Park to Park Highway
The National Park to Park Highway was an auto trail in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s, plotted by A. L. Westgard. It followed a large loop through the West, connecting twelve National Parks:*Rocky Mountain National Park*Yellowstone National Park...
. He also encouraged cooperation with the railroads
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
to increase visitation to normally remote units of the National Park System. He believed that once more of the public had visited the parks, they would become supporters for the fledgling agency and its holdings. By the time he left his position, the park system included 20 national parks and 32 national monuments. Mather also had created the criteria for identifying and adopting new parks and monuments.
Periodically disabled by bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
(manic-depression), Mather had to take some leaves from work. In January 1929 he suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
and had to leave office. He died a year later.
Legacy and memorials
- In 1930 Mather was posthumously awarded the Public Welfare MedalPublic Welfare MedalThe Public Welfare Medal is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences "in recognition of distinguished contributions in the application of science to the public welfare." It is the most prestigious honor conferred by the Academy...
from the National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. - His family and friends established the Stephen Mather Memorial Fund. It commissioned numerous bronze plaques honoring Mather's accomplishments and installed them in national park units beginning in 1932. Inscriptions on the plaques read:
- The Stephen Tyng Mather HomeStephen Tyng Mather HomeStephen Tyng Mather Home, also known as The Mather Homestead, was the home of Stephen Tyng Mather, the American industrialist and conservationist, who championed the creation of the National Park Service in 1916 and served as its first director...
in Connecticut was declared a National Historic LandmarkNational Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1963.
- Various places within today's National Park System are named after Mather, including
- Mather Point on the south rim of Grand Canyon National ParkGrand Canyon National ParkGrand Canyon National Park is the United States' 15th oldest national park and is located in Arizona. Within the park lies the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the Wonders of the World. The park covers of unincorporated area in Coconino and Mohave counties.Most...
; - Mather District and Camp Mather in Yosemite National ParkYosemite National ParkYosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
; - Mather Pass in Kings Canyon National ParkKings Canyon National ParkKings Canyon National Park is a National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Fresno, California. The park was established in 1940 and covers...
; - Mather GorgeMather GorgeMather Gorge is a river gorge south and just downriver of Great Falls on the border of Maryland and Virginia. The Maryland side of the gorge is Bear Island, part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, and the Virginia side is part of Great Falls Park. Both parks are National...
on the border of Great Falls ParkGreat Falls ParkGreat Falls Park is a small National Park Service site in Virginia, United States. Situated on 800 acres along the banks of the Potomac River in northern Fairfax County, the park is a disconnected but integral part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway...
and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical ParkChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical ParkThe Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in the District of Columbia and the states of Maryland and West Virginia. The park was established as a National Monument in 1961 by President Dwight D...
; and the - Stephen T. Mather Training Center, which serves the entire National Park System and is located at Harpers Ferry National Historical ParkHarpers Ferry National Historical ParkHarpers Ferry National Historical Park is located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers in and around Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The park includes land in Jefferson County, West Virginia; Washington County, Maryland and Loudoun County, Virginia. The park is managed by the...
in West VirginiaWest VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
.
- Mather Point on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park
Other types of places were named for him:
- Stephen Tyng Mather High SchoolStephen Tyng Mather High SchoolStephen Tyng Mather High School is a public secondary school located in the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Opened in 1959, it is named in honor of Stephen Mather, an industrialist and conservationist who became the first director of the National Park Service .Mather is a...
in Chicago, Illinois; - Stephen Mather Memorial Parkway (Washington State Route 410Washington State Route 410State Route 410 is a long state highway that traverses Pierce, King, and Yakima counties in the U.S. state of Washington. It begins at an interchange with SR 167 in Sumner and travels southeast across the Cascade Range to a junction with U.S. Route 12 in Naches...
) in the Mount Rainier National ParkMount Rainier National ParkMount Rainier National Park is a United States National Park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. It was one of the US's earliest National Parks, having been established on March 2, 1899 as the fifth national park in the United States. The park contains...
and the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National ForestMount Baker-Snoqualmie National ForestThe Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington extends more than along the western slopes of the Cascade Range from the Canadian border to the northern boundary of Mount Rainier National Park. Forest headquarters are located in the city of Everett....
; and - Stephen Mather WildernessStephen Mather WildernessThe Stephen Mather Wilderness is a wilderness area honoring Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service. It is located within North Cascades National Park, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, and Ross Lake National Recreation Area in the North Cascade Range of Washington,...
, comprising much of the North Cascades National ParkNorth Cascades National ParkNorth Cascades National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the state of Washington. The park is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Several national wilderness areas and British Columbia parkland adjoin the...
.
Further reading
- Everhart, William C.; The National Park Service; Praeger Publishers, New York, 1972
- Shankland, Robert; Steve Mather of the National Parks; Alfred A. Knopf, New York; 1970
External links
- William Swift, "Stephen T. Mather 1867-1930", National Park Service: The First 75 Years, NPS
- "Guide to the Stephen Tyng Mather Papers", The Bancroft Library
- Grave site