Pinchot-Ballinger Controversy

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The Pinchot-Ballinger Controversy was a dispute between Richard A. Ballinger and Gifford Pinchot that helped lead to the split of the Republican Party.

In 1909, Taft replaced Roosevelt's Secretary of the Interior, James Rudolph Garfield, with Richard Ballinger. Ballinger tried to invalidate Roosevelt's actions by taking almost 1 million acres (4,000 km²) of forestry and mineral reserves from public lands, and making them accessible for private development. Louis Glavis investigated this issue and took it to Gifford Pinchot, who was head of the Forest Service at the time. Pinchot carried over the evidence to President Taft. Taft ordered further investigation. In turn, the charges and evidence were nullified. Pinchot was still very angered by this, and turned the story over to the press. Pinchot then asked Congress to investigate the issue. When President Taft found out about this, he discharged Pinchot on grounds of insubordination. The Congressional committee that was investigating the issue had pardoned Ballinger because it was led by the Old Right. By the end of the controversy, Taft had already removed almost all of Roosevelt's supporters.

Some think of this historical event as an important parable from United States history. For example, Ballinger could have represented the western small businessmen and Pinchot the large corporation leaders. The small businessmen felt that federal regulations were an interference to the economy, and the large corporations followed the conservation policies. Others see the event in other terms. Pinchot, the hero of conservationism and opponent to lumbering interests, attempted to expose Ballinger and hence expose the new government's lack of concern for protecting precious forests.