Stewart Udall, who helped expand public lands, dies at 90

SANTA FE, N.M. - Stewart Udall, who sowed the seeds of the modern environmental movement as secretary of the interior during the 1960s and later became a crusader for victims of radiation exposure from the government's Cold War nuclear programs, died yesterday. He was 90.

A statement from Udall's family, released through the office of his son, Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), said he died of natural causes at his home in Santa Fe, surrounded by his children and their families.

Udall, brother of the late 15-term Rep. Morris Udall, served six years in Congress as a Democrat from Arizona, and then headed the Interior Department for eight years under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. His son Tom and nephew Mark also became congressmen, then both were elected to the Senate in 2008.

Under Stewart Udall's leadership from 1961 through 1968, the Interior Department aggressively promoted an expansion of public lands and helped win enactment of major environmental laws, including ones to protect endangered species. He helped write several of the most far-reaching pieces of legislation, including the Wilderness Act of 1964, which protects millions of acres from logging, mining and other development.

More than 60 additions were made to the National Park system during the Udall years, including Canyonlands National Park in Utah, North Cascades National Park in Washington, Redwood National Park in California and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail stretching from Georgia to Maine.

In a 1963 book, Udall warned of a "quiet conservation crisis" from pollution, overuse of natural resources and dwindling open spaces. He appealed for a new "land conscience" to preserve the environment.

After leaving government service, Udall taught, practiced law and wrote books. In 1979, he returned home to Arizona and began another career - leading a legal battle against the government he had once served as an influential insider.

Udall helped bring a lawsuit against the government on behalf of the families of Navajo men who suffered lung cancer in mining uranium for the government. Another lawsuit sought compensation for people who lived downwind from above-ground nuclear tests in Nevada during the 1950s and early '60s.

The lawsuits failed in court, and Udall said the experience left him angry and discouraged.

But the lawsuits eventually produced results. They provided a mountain of evidence for congressional investigations into the safety of the nation's nuclear weapons complex. And in 1990, the Radiation Exposure Safety Act was enacted to compensate thousands of Americans. Udall helped write the measure and lobby for its passage.

Udall married Ermalee Webb of Mesa, Ariz., on Aug. 1, 1947. She died in 2001. He is survived by six children and eight grandchildren. The family said a memorial will be held later this year in Santa Fe.