Harry A. Slattery (June 13, 1887 – September 1, 1949), was an American lawyer and politician. He was United States Under Secretary of the Interior from 1938 to 1939 and gave his name to the Slattery Report, which proposed to develop

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

through immigration. The proposal, which included the settlement of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

refugees from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, largely in response to

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

, was never implemented.

Early life

He was born in Greenville,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. Slattery attended Mount Saint Mary's College in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

and

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

Career

In 1909–1912, he was secretary to

Gifford Pinchot Gifford Pinchot (August 11, 1865October 4, 1946) was an American forester and politician. He served as the fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, as the first head of the United States Forest Service, and as the 28th governor of Pennsyl ...

, Chief Forester in

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

's administration. In 1912–1917, he was Executive Secretary of the National Conservation Association, appointed by its founder, Pinchot. In 1917–1918, he was Special Assistant to

United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natura ...

Franklin K. Lane. In 1919–1923, he was Counsel to the National Conservation Association. As part of government efforts to indict big business for the exploitation of the country's natural resources, he was involved in Senate investigations of the Mulhall exposure during Wilson's administration and the Teapot Dome Scandal of 1921. In 1923–1933, he practiced law in Washington, D.C. In 1925–1929, he was Executive and counsel for the National Boulder Dam Association. In 1929–1932, he Counsel for the

National Conservation Commission The National Conservation Commission was appointed on June 8, 1908, by Theodore Roosevelt, President Theodore Roosevelt and consisted of representatives of the United States Congress and relevant executive agency technocrats; Gifford Pinchot serve ...

. In 1931–1933, he was Washington, D.C. representative for the New York Power Authority. In 1933–1938, he was Personal Assistant to Harold Ickes, Secretary of the Interior, and Assistant to administrator of Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works. In 1938–1939, Slattery was Under Secretary of the Interior, until his appointment by Roosevelt on 26 September 1939 to head up the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). He resigned after a conflict with Secretary of Agriculture Claude R. Wickard in 1944. The 1944 controversy between the REA and the Department of Agriculture over the administration of REA led to a Senate investigation. Slattery was involved in the passage of a federal coal and oil leasing measure, federal water power legislation, Alaska coal and home rule acts, and rural electrification legislation. In 1940–1942, he was also Consultant to the power subcommittee of the advisory commission of the Council of National Defense. In 1944, Slattery received LL.D. from the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

. Slattery was a member of the National Power Policy Committee, the Energy Resources and Land Committees of the

National Resources Planning Board National Resources Board of 1934 or National Resources Planning Board was established by Franklin Roosevelt on June 30, 1934. President Roosevelt created the federal government committee by the authority of the National Industrial Recovery Act of 19 ...

, the Interbureau Coordinating Committee, the Federal States Relations Committee, the

Society of American Foresters The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is a professional organization representing the forestry industry in the United States. Its mission statement declares that it seeks to "advance the science, education, and practice of forestry; to enhance t ...

, the National Press Club, the Missouri Athletic Club, and Delta Theta Phi fraternity.

Personal life

Slattery died on September 1, 1949. His papers are held in the

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

Libraries.

References

Register of the Harry A. Slattery Papers
. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University
Electricity for Rural America: The Fight for the REA History of Rural Electrification
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slattery, Harry A. 1887 births 1949 deaths United States Department of the Interior officials Georgetown University alumni University of South Carolina alumni Mount St. Mary's University alumni American conservationists United States Forest Service officials History of forestry in the United States People from Greenville, South Carolina Franklin D. Roosevelt administration personnel George Washington University alumni