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 educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

. 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 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

Biography

Hardin was born in

Knightstown, Indiana Knightstown is a town in Wayne Township, Henry County, Indiana, adjacent to Rush County, along the Big Blue River. The population was 2,140 at the 2020 census. It is approximately thirty-two miles east of Indianapolis. Knightstown was used i ...

, 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 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 ...

West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette ( ) is a city in Wabash and Tippecanoe Townships, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, approximately northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash ...

. 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 Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

Lansing Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...

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, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

where he did research in

agricultural economics Agricultural economics is an applied field of economics concerned with the application of economic theory in optimizing the production and distribution of food and fiber products. Agricultural economics began as a branch of economics that specif ...

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 Memoria ...

. 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 Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an Inflammation, inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Infla ...

and

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

, 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. 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 Secretaries of agriculture of the United States Presidents of the University of Nebraska System Chancellors of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Politicians from Lincoln, Nebraska {{US-gov-bio-stub