National Parks Champion, Stewart L. Udall Dies at 90
Stewart L. Udall, the Interior Minister in 1960s who very passionately expanded the national parks and monuments and was instrumental in getting legislations enacted for protection of public lands, died Saturday at the age of 90.
He breathed his last at his home in Santa Fe, N.M., among his children as per t6he statement of his son, Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico.
His death was attributed to natural causes after a fall previous week after which he had been bed-ridden.
Udall's career is full of accomplishments while serving in the congress but he is mostly remembered for the protection of public lands cause that he championed very passionately.
Udall worked tirelessly towards this cause for 8 years while serving under then president, both Kennedy and Johnson, when he along with Sierra Club became instrumental in the creation of Redwood National Park along California's northern coast.
Other parks that owe their creation to Udall are Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas, North Cascades National Park in Washington state and Canyonlands National Park in Utah, along with the Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts and the Point Reyes National Seashore north of San Francisco.
He also played an important role in developing many legislation pieces, specially the Wilderness Act of 1964, which is the reason of protection of millions of acres of land.
Udall was married to Erma Lee Udall for 55 years. His wife died in 2001. Stewart Udall is survived by his six children and eight grandchildren.
