Clifford Morris Hardin (October 9, 1915April 4, 2010) was an American politician and was the Chancellor of the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

. He served as the

United States 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 organi ...

from 1969 to 1971 under President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

Biography

Hardin was born in Knightstown, Indiana, on October 9, 1915, to J. Alvin and Mabel (née Macy) Hardin. He earned a B.S. (1937), M.S. (1939) and Ph.D. (1941) from

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister cit ...

. On June 28, 1939, Hardin married the former Martha Love Wood. They had two sons and three daughters. He taught Agricultural Economics at the Michigan State University of

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

from 1944 to 1948, when he became the assistant director and then the director of the Agricultural Experiment Station. He did some post-doctoral work during the 1940s at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

where he did research in agricultural economics with future Nobel Prize winner,

Theodore Schultz Theodore William Schultz (; 30 April 1902 – 26 February 1998) was an American Agricultural economist and chairman of the University of Chicago Department of Economics. Schultz rose to national prominence after winning the 1979 Nobel Memorial ...

.Sumner, Daniel A. Agricultural Economics at Chicago, in David Gale Johnson, John M. Antle. The Economics of Agriculture: Papers in honor of D. Gale Johnson. University of Chicago Press, 1996 p 14-29 Hardin became the school's Dean of Agriculture in 1953 and was the Chancellor of the

from 1954 to 1968. On January 21, 1969, Hardin served as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by President

. As the Secretary, Hardin extended the food stamp program and established both the Food and Nutrition Service (to administer the food programs for the poor) and the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (to coordinate the efforts of state and local officials). Hardin resigned on November 17, 1971, and was replaced by Earl L. Butz. Hardin died from kidney disease and

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

, on April 4, 2010, at the age of 94. His daughter, Nancy H. Rogers, married Douglas L. Rogers, the son of Secretary of State

William P. Rogers William Pierce Rogers (June 23, 1913 – January 2, 2001) was an American diplomat and attorney. He served as United States Attorney General under President Dwight D. Eisenhower and United States Secretary of State under President Richard Nixo ...

. His other daughter, Cynthia H. Milligan, was married to Robert Milligan.

References

Clifford M. Hardin's obituary
1915 births 2010 deaths Michigan State University faculty Nixon administration cabinet members 20th-century American politicians People from Knightstown, Indiana Purdue University alumni United States Secretaries of Agriculture Presidents of the University of Nebraska System Chancellors of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska politicians {{US-gov-bio-stub