Edward "Ned" C. Fritz (February 8, 1916December 19, 2008) was an American attorney and conservationist in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

who was instrumental in establishing the

Big Thicket National Preserve The Big Thicket is the name given to a somewhat imprecise region of a heavily forested area of Southeast Texas in the United States. This area represents a portion of the mixed pine-hardwood forests or " Piney Woods" of the Southeast US. The Nat ...

and wilderness areas in East Texas, and founded a number of successful nonprofit organizations.

Career

Fritz was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and educated 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 ...

and

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

. He was a U.S. Navy flight instructor during World War II (one of his students was future President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

), then began his career as a trial lawyer in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, where he was also active in the state Democratic Party. Fritz founded or co-founded the Texas chapter of

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in ...

in 1964 and, subsequently, the Texas League of Conservation Voters, Texas Conservation Alliance, Texas Land Conservancy, and Dallas Sierra Club. After retiring from his law practice in 1974, Fritz personally led numerous citizens’ lawsuits to list endangered species, change clearcutting and other practices on U.S. national forests, and halt or modify reservoirs and other water development projects. He also wrote books about the wilderness areas he helped establish, clearcutting, and other topics. His papers are housed at Southern Methodist University, where he received his law degree.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fritz, Edward C. 1916 births 2008 deaths University of Chicago alumni Southern Methodist University alumni