Earl L. Butz, Secretary Felled by Racial Remark, Is Dead at 98
Earl L. Butz, who orchestrated a major change in federal farm policy as secretary of agriculture during the 1970s but came to be remembered more for a vulgar racial comment that brought about his resignation during the 1976 presidential election race, died Saturday in Washington. Mr. Butz, who lived in West Lafayette, Ind., was 98.
His death was announced by Purdue University, where he was dean of the College of Agriculture from 1957 to 1967. Randy Woodson, the current dean, told The Associated Press that had Mr. Butz died in his sleep while visiting his son William.
Serving under President Richard M. Nixon and his successor, Gerald R. Ford, Mr. Butz was a forceful, sharp-tongued figure who engineered legislation sharply reducing federal subsidies for farmers. He was the best known secretary of agriculture since Henry A. Wallace in the Depression days, when the federal government began to pay farmers to keep some of their cropland and livestock out of production in the face of plunging income.
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His death was announced by Purdue University, where he was dean of the College of Agriculture from 1957 to 1967. Randy Woodson, the current dean, told The Associated Press that had Mr. Butz died in his sleep while visiting his son William.
Serving under President Richard M. Nixon and his successor, Gerald R. Ford, Mr. Butz was a forceful, sharp-tongued figure who engineered legislation sharply reducing federal subsidies for farmers. He was the best known secretary of agriculture since Henry A. Wallace in the Depression days, when the federal government began to pay farmers to keep some of their cropland and livestock out of production in the face of plunging income.