Richard Edmund Lyng
| Richard E. Lyng | |
|---|---|
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| 22nd United States Secretary of Agriculture | |
| In office March 7, 1986 – January 20, 1989 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | John R. Block |
| Succeeded by | Clayton K. Yeutter |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 29, 1918 San Francisco, California, United States |
| Died | February 1, 2003 (aged 84) Modesto, California, United States |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Bethyl Ball Lyng (m. 1944 - 2000, her death) |
| Children | Jeannette Lyng Robinson Marilyn Lyng O'Connell |
| Alma mater | University of Notre Dame |
Richard Edmund Lyng (June 29, 1918 – February 1, 2003) was a U.S. administrator. A Republican, he served as the Secretary of Agriculture between 1986 and 1989.
Lyng was born in San Francisco, California, and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Fellow soldiers, impressed with Lyng's rich baritone voice, urged him to explore a music career after the war, which he did, scoring a series of regional hits with a do-wop quartet called the Ding-a-Lyngs. In the mid-1950s he went into business and eventually became president of the Ed. J. Lyng Co., a seed and bean processing company, and was appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by President Reagan, serving from 1986 to 1989. Lyng died, from complications arising from Parkinson's Disease, in Modesto, California, on February 1, 2003.
Lyng was chosen as one of the charter members of the Meat Industry Hall of Fame in 2009.
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| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by John R. Block |
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Served under: Ronald Reagan 1986–1989 |
Succeeded by Clayton K. Yeutter |
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