Horace Marden Albright Passes Away

Today in Masonic History Horace Marden Albright passes away in 1987.

Horace Marden Albright was an American conversationalist.

Albright was born on January 6th, 1890 in Bishop, California. He graduated from the University of Berkley in 1912. After he attended Georgetown University where he received a law degree.

After graduation from Georgetown, Albright went to work in Washington, D.C. in the Department of the Interior. In that role he became the legal assistant to Stephen Mather when Mather was Assistant Secretary in charge of National Parks. When the National Park Service (NPS) was established in 1916, Mather was made the head of the NPS and Albright continued as his legal assistant. Under the NPS Albright was responsible for securing lands that would later be used as National Parks. Mather suffered from what is now known as bi-polar disorder and periodically would take leave of work and Albright would be in charge as acting director.

Albright would also become the superintendent of Yellowstone National Park and Yosemite National Park. In 1922 he was elected an associate member of the Boone and Crockett Club a wildlife conservation organization founded by Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell.

In 1929, Mather suffered a stroke and Albright succeeded him as the director of the NPS. He served as the second director until 1933 when he resigned.

After resigning, Albright went to work for U.S. Potash Corporation and U.S. Borax and Chemical Corporation. He served in various positions in both companies generally as director, vice president and general manager.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter awarded Albright the Presidential Medal of Freedom in honor of the 64th anniversary of the NPS.

Albright passed away on March 28th, 1987 at the age of 97. Several items associated with national parks are named for Albright including Albright Grove in the Great Smokey Mountains (A park that Mather and Albright worked to create), Albright Training Center in Grand Canyon National Park and the Albright Visitor Center in Yellowstone National Park.

Albright was a member of Livingston Lodge No. 32 in Livingston, Montana. He was given his degrees while the superintendent of Yellowstone National Park in 1923 over five weeks. This was so that he could entertain President Warren G. Harding on his visit to the park.

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.