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EspañolEARL BUTZ
(Redirected from Earl Lauer Butz)
'Earl Lauer Butz' (born July 3, 1909) is a former United States government official who served as Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
Born in Albion, Indiana, Butz is an alumnus of Purdue University where he was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture in 1932, and then a doctorate in Agricultural Economics in 1937. He is the uncle of former NFL player Dave Butz.
In 1948, Butz became vice president of the American Agricultural Economics Association, and three years later was named to the same post at the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. In 1954, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of Agriculture by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. That same year he was also named chairman of the United States delegation to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. He left both of the aforementioned posts in 1957, when he became the Dean of Agriculture at his alma mater, Purdue University. In 1968 he was promoted to the positions of Dean of Education and vice president of the university's research foundation. In 1971, President Richard Nixon appointed Butz as Secretary of Agriculture, a position in which he continued to serve after Nixon resigned as the result of the Watergate scandal in 1974.
At the 1974 World Food Conference in Rome, Butz made fun of the Pope's opposition to "population control" by quipping, in a mock Italian accent: "He no playa the game, he no maka the rules."[1]
A spokesman for Cardinal Cooke of the New York archdiocese demanded an apology, and the Secretary was reprimanded by the White House, which forced him to apologize[2] Butz issued a statement saying that he had not "intended to impugn the motives or the integrity of any religious group, ethnic group or religious leader."
Butz was forced to resign his cabinet post on October 4, 1976 after a second gaffe. News outlets revealed a racist remark he made in front of entertainer Pat Boone and former White House counsel John Dean while aboard a commercial flight to California following the Republican National Convention. The October 18, 1976 issue of ''Time'' reported the comment while obscuring its vulgarity:[3]
:''Butz started by telling a dirty joke involving intercourse between a dog and a skunk. When the conversation turned to politics, Boone, a right-wing Republican, asked Butz why the party of Lincoln was not able to attract more blacks. The Secretary responded with a line so obscene and insulting to blacks that it forced him out of the Cabinet last week and jolted the whole Ford campaign. Butz said that "the only thing the coloreds are looking for in life are tight p - - - - , loose shoes and a warm place to s - - -."''
:''After some indecision, Dean used the line in'' Rolling Stone, ''attributing it to an unnamed Cabinet officer. But'' New Times ''magazine enterprisingly sleuthed out Butz's identity by checking the itineraries of all Cabinet members.''
In any case, according to the ''Washington Post,'' anyone familiar with Beltway politics could “have not the tiniest doubt in your mind as to which cabinet officer” uttered it.
While some newspapers published the remark, others stated only that Butz had said something too obscene to print, and invited their readers to contact the editors if they wanted more information. The ''San Diego Evening Tribune'' offered to mail a copy of the whole quotation to anyone who requested it; more than 3,000 readers did.
On May 22, 1981, Butz pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges, for having underreported income he had earned in 1978. On June 19 he was sentenced to five years in prison; however, all but 30 days of the term were suspended. He was also fined $10,000 and ordered to pay $61,183 in civil penalties.
As of 2007, Butz is the oldest living former Cabinet member, regardless of department or administration served in.
1. "Quiet Please," ''TIME Magazine,'' December 9, 1974
2. "Children of the Corn Syrup," Shea Dean, ''The Believer,'' October 2003.
3. "Exit Earl, Not Laughing," ''Time'', October 18, 1976.
'Earl Lauer Butz' (born July 3, 1909) is a former United States government official who served as Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
| Contents |
| Background |
| Career |
| Scandals and Resignation |
| Retirement |
| Notes |
Background
Born in Albion, Indiana, Butz is an alumnus of Purdue University where he was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture in 1932, and then a doctorate in Agricultural Economics in 1937. He is the uncle of former NFL player Dave Butz.
Career
In 1948, Butz became vice president of the American Agricultural Economics Association, and three years later was named to the same post at the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. In 1954, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of Agriculture by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. That same year he was also named chairman of the United States delegation to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. He left both of the aforementioned posts in 1957, when he became the Dean of Agriculture at his alma mater, Purdue University. In 1968 he was promoted to the positions of Dean of Education and vice president of the university's research foundation. In 1971, President Richard Nixon appointed Butz as Secretary of Agriculture, a position in which he continued to serve after Nixon resigned as the result of the Watergate scandal in 1974.
Scandals and Resignation
At the 1974 World Food Conference in Rome, Butz made fun of the Pope's opposition to "population control" by quipping, in a mock Italian accent: "He no playa the game, he no maka the rules."[1]
A spokesman for Cardinal Cooke of the New York archdiocese demanded an apology, and the Secretary was reprimanded by the White House, which forced him to apologize[2] Butz issued a statement saying that he had not "intended to impugn the motives or the integrity of any religious group, ethnic group or religious leader."
Butz was forced to resign his cabinet post on October 4, 1976 after a second gaffe. News outlets revealed a racist remark he made in front of entertainer Pat Boone and former White House counsel John Dean while aboard a commercial flight to California following the Republican National Convention. The October 18, 1976 issue of ''Time'' reported the comment while obscuring its vulgarity:[3]
:''Butz started by telling a dirty joke involving intercourse between a dog and a skunk. When the conversation turned to politics, Boone, a right-wing Republican, asked Butz why the party of Lincoln was not able to attract more blacks. The Secretary responded with a line so obscene and insulting to blacks that it forced him out of the Cabinet last week and jolted the whole Ford campaign. Butz said that "the only thing the coloreds are looking for in life are tight p - - - - , loose shoes and a warm place to s - - -."''
:''After some indecision, Dean used the line in'' Rolling Stone, ''attributing it to an unnamed Cabinet officer. But'' New Times ''magazine enterprisingly sleuthed out Butz's identity by checking the itineraries of all Cabinet members.''
In any case, according to the ''Washington Post,'' anyone familiar with Beltway politics could “have not the tiniest doubt in your mind as to which cabinet officer” uttered it.
While some newspapers published the remark, others stated only that Butz had said something too obscene to print, and invited their readers to contact the editors if they wanted more information. The ''San Diego Evening Tribune'' offered to mail a copy of the whole quotation to anyone who requested it; more than 3,000 readers did.
Retirement
On May 22, 1981, Butz pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges, for having underreported income he had earned in 1978. On June 19 he was sentenced to five years in prison; however, all but 30 days of the term were suspended. He was also fined $10,000 and ordered to pay $61,183 in civil penalties.
As of 2007, Butz is the oldest living former Cabinet member, regardless of department or administration served in.
Notes
1. "Quiet Please," ''TIME Magazine,'' December 9, 1974
2. "Children of the Corn Syrup," Shea Dean, ''The Believer,'' October 2003.
3. "Exit Earl, Not Laughing," ''Time'', October 18, 1976.
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