Kathleen Clarke
Kathleen Clarke
Director of the Bureau of Land Management
In office
December 2001 – December 26, 2006
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byTom Fry
Succeeded byJames Caswell
Personal details
BornUtah
Children4
Parent
  • Hubert C. Burton (1924-2000) (father)
Alma materUtah State University
Known forFirst woman director of the Bureau of Land Management

Kathleen Burton Clarke is an American politician, who served as the national director of the United States Bureau of Land Management from 2001 to 2006. Clarke was the first woman to serve in this role.

Early life and education

Clarke was born in Utah and grew up in Bountiful, Utah. Clarke's father was Hubert C. Burton (1924–2000), a medical doctor. Clarke's mother was Elaine Nelson Burton.[1]

Clarke earned a bachelor's degree from Utah State University.[2][3] She was then a law student at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University.[4]

Career

Clarke began her career as a staffer for James V. Hansen and Senator Wallace F. Bennett.[5]

In 1993, she served as the Deputy Director of Utah Department of Natural Resources. In 1998, she became as the Executive Director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources.[5][3]

In 2001, Clarke was nominated by President George Bush to become a director of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at the Department of Interior and she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 20, 2001. She became the first woman director of BLM.

During her directing of the BLM, it was often criticized by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups for allowing oil drilling at low cost. This action increased domestic oil production and decreased oil production costs, thus keeping the rise in fuel costs below what it otherwise might have been.

Clarke sought to increase energy resource development on public lands. She was criticized for policies that resulted in the slaughtering of many wild horses.[6]

She resigned as director of BLM in December 2006.[5][3][7][8]

Clarke later served as Deputy Commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.[9]

Personal life

Clarke has four children[5] and is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Awards

  • 2004 Key Women in Energy – Americas award.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Obituary: Hubert C. Burton, M.D." Deseret News. April 16, 2000. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Utah State University Greats". www.usu.edu.
  3. 1 2 3 "President Bush to Nominate Clarke to be Director of the Bureau of Land Management at the Department of the Interior". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. August 27, 2001. Archived from the original on 2008-03-06. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Graduation Spotlight: Kathleen Meredith – BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School". Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Heilprin, John (August 27, 2001). "Bush Picks Federal Lands Manager". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  6. ↑ Struglinski, Suzanne (December 29, 2006). "Utahn resigns from BLM". Deseret News. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  7. ↑ "PN1149 – Kathleen Burton Clarke – Department of the Interior". congress.gov. 2001. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  8. ↑ Baird, Joe (December 29, 2006). "BLM's top job: Utahn is out after 4 years". sltrib.com. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  9. ↑ Perkins, Nancy (February 3, 2008). "Land policies, climate are hot topics at farm meeting". Deseret Morning News. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  10. ↑ "MMS Director Johnnie Burton, BLM Director Kathleen Clarke Honored as Key Women in Energy". doi.gov. May 7, 2004. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2020.

Additional sources

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