Ethan A. Hitchcock (Interior)

Ethan Allen Hitchcock ( born September 19, 1835 in Mobile, Alabama, † April 9, 1909 in Washington DC) was an American lawyer and politician ( Republican), who was from 1899 to 1907 the U.S. cabinet as Minister of the Interior.

After Hitchcock had his degree in 1855 at a private military academy in Connecticut, took him to Hong Kong, where he headed the local branch of a company from St. Louis. When he gave up this post in 1872, he had made ​​a good name in business circles. Subsequently, he served as president of several railroad and mining companies as well as manufacturers.

His first public office, he assumed then only at an advanced age. 1897 appointed him U.S. President William McKinley Minister to Russia. Background was the intention to intensify in this way the trade relations between the two countries. The following year, Hitchcock was promoted to official ambassador.

On 21 December 1898, the President Ethan Hitchcock then appointed as interior minister in his cabinet; However, it took two months until he had returned from Russia and could actually take office. He was subsequently primarily to nature conservation and earned his dedication to the interests of the Native Americans. He also tightened the law in land scams.

The fact that he but also got into conflict with Republican congressman, clouded relationship to his own party. Moreover, he did not belong to the tennis cabinet, the Minister narrower circle around McKinley's successor as president, Theodore Roosevelt. So he finally came on March 4, 1907 by his post. Two years later, Ethan Hitchcock died in Washington.