Stephen Tyng Mather was instrumental in helping persuade Congress to create the National Park Service (NPS). The park service was established in 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson, and Mather was appointed as the first NPS director in May 1917.
The goal of the NPS was to manage the national parks, which had been largely neglected before this time. Mather believed that the primary criterion for a national park was its scenery.
During his time as the director, he helped expand the NPS into the east, adding the Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah and Mammoth Cave as national parks. He also made the case for making a Sand Dunes National Park.
His tenure ran from 1917 to January 1929. He retired from the office after suffering a stroke. Mather would die a year after the stroke.
Historical Marker Inscription
Stephen Tyng Mather
July 4, 1867 – Jan. 22, 1930
He laid the foundation of the National Park Service. Defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations. There will never come an end to the good that he has done.
Location
32° 10’ 48.720” N, 110° 44’ 10.698” W
3515 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZ 85730, United States
Historical Markers of the World 