Julius Albert Krug

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Julius A. Krug

Julius Albert Krug (November 23, 1907 – March 26, 1970) was a U.S. Secretary of the Interior under President Harry Truman.

A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Krug graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1929. His first notable jobs were with the Tennessee Valley Authority, where he worked as chief power engineer, and then manager of power. In 1941, Krug was promoted to chief of the power branch of the Office of Production Management. After the beginning of World War II, this office became the War Production Board. Krug was promoted to director of the Office of War Utilities in 1943.

In April 1944, Krug enlisted in the United States Navy. He was recalled that August to serve as chairman of the War Production Board, where he served until the board's dissolution in November 1945. President Truman nominated Krug for the position of Secretary of the Interior on February 26, 1946. Krug took office on March 18.

As Secretary, Krug opposed lumber companies' efforts to gain logging rights to huge forests in Washington state, and opposed the building of unnecessary dams. As the administrator of coal mines in the United States, he led failed negotiations between John L. Lewis and mine owners in an attempt to end a nationwide strike by the United Mine Workers of America.

Krug resigned from the cabinet effective December 1, 1949, and moved on to private industry as a utilities consultant in Washington. He also served as chairman of the board of Brookside Mills, Inc., and cofounded the Volunteer Asphalt Company in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Krug is buried in Arlington National Cemetery alongside his wife, Margaret Krug, who was interred there in 1986.