Henry Cantwell Wallace

Henry Cantwell Wallace (May 11, 1866 – October 25, 1924) was a United States farm leader. He served as the Secretary of Agriculture between 1921 and 1924. He was the father of Henry Agard Wallace, who would follow in his footsteps as Secretary of Agriculture under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was editor of Wallaces' Farmer 1916-1921.

Biography

Son of Henry Wallace, who was a prominent farm journalist and counselor to statesmen, Henry C. (Harry) Wallace was born in Rock Island, Illinois. His grandfather, John Wallace (1805–1872), was an immigrant from County Antrim, Ireland [1]. He graduated from and was a professor of dairy science at Iowa State College. He farmed near Orient, Iowa, where his son Henry A. Wallace was born. Harry handled much of the daily details at Wallaces' Farmer and became editor when his father died. Harry Wallace helped establish 4-H clubs and extension programs in Iowa, and helped start the Iowa Farm Bureau.

He served as the longtime president of the Cornbelt Meat Producers Association. Appointed Secretary of Agriculture by President Warren G. Harding in 1921, Harry Wallace promoted programs for American farmers struggling against over-production and the collapse of farm prices following the First World War. He continued to serve when the Vice-President, Calvin Coolidge, succeeded to the Presidency on the death of President Harding in 1923 but died in office just 10 days before the next election in 1924. His book, Our Debt and Duty to the Farmer, was published posthumously.