Claude Raymond Wickard (February 28, 1893 – April 29, 1967) was an American Democratic politician who served as the

secretary of agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments The department includes several organiz ...

during the administrations of Presidents

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

and

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

from 1940 to 1945.

Biography

Wickard was born on his family farm in

Carroll County, Indiana Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 20,306. The county seat is Delphi. Carroll County is part of the Lafayette, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hist ...

, near Camden, on February 28, 1893. He was born to Iva Lenora (''née'' Kirkpatrick) and Andrew Jackson Wickard. He graduated from

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

in 1915 with a bachelor's degree in agriculture, and he was chosen as "Master Farmer of Indiana" in 1927 for his improvements in stock feeding and farming. He was elected from the

Indiana Senate The Indiana State Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year ...

in 1932, and was appointed as Undersecretary of Agriculture. When

Henry A. Wallace Henry Agard Wallace (October 7, 1888 – November 18, 1965) was the 33rd vice president of the United States, serving from 1941 to 1945, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He served as the 11th U.S. secretary of agriculture and the 10th U.S ...

resigned as the

in September 1940 to run for Vice-President in the 1940 presidential election, Wickard was appointed to the post. Victory Garden Program

He was on the winning side in ''

Wickard v. Filburn ''Wickard v. Filburn'', 317 U.S. 111 (1942), was a landmark United States Supreme Court decision that dramatically increased the regulatory power of the federal government. It remains as one of the most important and far-reaching cases concerni ...

,'' in which the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

decided in a case that the federal government could control wheat that was grown in one state for the personal use of a farmer. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Wickard headed the

War Food Administration The War Food Administration was a United States government agency that existed from 1943 to 1945. The War Food Administration was responsible for the production and distribution of food to meet war and essential civilian needs during World War II. ...

, promoting increased farmer production as a matter of patriotism. His slogan was "Food Will Win the War and Write the Peace." On January 18, 1943, Wickard banned the sale of presliced bread, possibly to save tools and wax paper, as required at the time. The ban lasted for less than two months, being rescinded in March 1943. He resigned on June 29, 1945, to become Chief of the

Rural Electrification Administration The United States Rural Utilities Service (RUS) administers programs that provide infrastructure or infrastructure improvements to rural communities. These include water and waste treatment, electric power, and telecommunications services. It i ...

, where he served until 1953. He ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1956, losing to incumbent Homer E. Capehart. Wickard was killed in an automobile accident and died on April 29, 1967. Reportedly, he ran a stop sign at the intersection of

Indiana State Road 18 State Road 18 (SR 18) in the U.S. State of Indiana is an east–west route in North Central Indiana running from the Illinois border in Benton County almost to the Ohio border, terminating at U.S. Route 27 (US 27)/ State Road 67 ...

and the

U.S. Highway 421 U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highwa ...

near

Delphi, Indiana Delphi () is a city in and the county seat of Carroll County, Indiana, Carroll County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. Located twenty minutes northeast of Lafayette, Indiana, Lafayette, it is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette, Indiana metro ...

, and his vehicle was hit by a crushed-stone truck. He is interred in Maple Lawn Cemetery in

Flora, Indiana Flora is a town in Monroe Township, Carroll County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,036 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette, Indiana metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistic ...

.Secretary killed in Indiana Crash
/ref>

References

External links

* 1893 births 1967 deaths Purdue University College of Agriculture alumni Road incident deaths in Indiana People from Carroll County, Indiana Democratic Party Indiana state senators Truman administration cabinet members Franklin D. Roosevelt administration cabinet members Secretaries of agriculture of the United States 20th-century members of the Indiana General Assembly {{agri-stub

Biography

See also

References

External links