Silcox, Ferdinand Augustus

Silcox, Ferdinand Augustus (1882–1939) forester, conservationist; born in Columbus, Ga. The son of a Confederate army veteran, he was educated at the College of Charleston, S.C., and the Yale School of Forestry. He worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado and Montana from 1905 to 1917. Using experience gained in working with labor and management in the forest industries, he built a second career as an industrial relations specialist during the 1920s. Appointed director of the U.S. Forest Service in 1933, he oversaw the addition of more than 13,000,000 acres to U.S. holdings during his six-year tenure.