Harold Herbert Leich papers

Collection

Identifier: ACCN 1973

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Harold Herbert Leich papers (1910-1985) contain a journal, correspondence, manuscripts, publications, magazine articles, news clippings, and maps. Boxes 4-14 were added in May 2003, and contain materials from Harold Herbert Leich's files, including correspondence, business materials, research materials, conference materials, articles, brochures, newsletters, and newspapers clippings.

Dates

1910-1985

Creator

Leich, Harold H., 1909-1981 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical / Historical

Harold Herbert Leich (1909-1981) grew up along the Ohio River which seemed to have a lasting influence on his life, as he was attracted to travel by water, manifested in an early interest in sailing ships and the nautical life, later by river trips on the Yellowstone and Colorado Rivers, and still later as an environmental writer advocating clean water supplies. At Dartmouth College (class of 1929) in New Hampshire, Leich became active with the Dartmouth Outing Club, which introduced students to the outdoor life through hiking, skiing, and other winter sports. From 1929 until 1935 he held a variety of jobs that appealed to him to some extent but were probably forced on him by the depressed economic conditions: deckhand on a coastal freighter, traveling serviceman for Sunbeam Electric, and a similar job for Sears. Between these positions he took several extended river trips in homemade boats, down the Yellowstone in 1930 and an attempt to run the Colorado from its source in the Rockies to the sea in 1933. The latter attempt ended when his boat sank in Cataract Canyon (Utah), and it took him several days to walk out to civilization. In 1935 he took a Civil Service exam and landed a job with the Civil Service Commission in Washington, D.C. With a break for service in the Navy during World War II, from which he retired as a lieutenant commander, he would spend his career with the CSC, retiring as chief of the policy division in 1972. During his time there he was awarded the Commissioner's Award for Distinguished Service and helped organize the Environmental Protection Agency. In the course of his career he authored many articles for professional journals in personnel management and public administration. In Washington he was an early president of the Ski Club of Washington, DC and was active in the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. He received a Master's in Public Administration from American University in the early 1950s. He was married in 1941 to Cora Louise McIver; they had two sons, Harold McIver Leich and Jeffrey Renwick Leich. After retiring from the Civil Service Commission he was an active writer on water pollution and the need for clean water. He contributed to BioCycle, Small Town, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and Compost Science.

Extent

6.5 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Harold Herbert Leich papers (1910-1985) contain a journal, correspondence, manuscripts, publications, magazine articles, news clippings, and maps. Harold Leich worked for the Civil Service Commission and helped organize the Environmental Protection Agency. He was an active outdoorsman and took extended river trips on the Yellowstone and Colorado Rivers. He wrote articles on water pollution for a variety of magazines.