Mountain & Prairie

Conversations & Contemplations from the New American West

Douglas Brinkley – Exploring the Past to Find Inspiration for the Future

Ed and Douglas Brinkley in Austin, TX

Douglas Brinkley is a world-renowned historian, author, and professor who may be best known to Mountain & Prairie listeners as the author of The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America and Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America, which detailed the first two waves of the United States’ conservation movement. His most recent book is Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening, which delves into the third wave of conservation and the rise of the modern environmental movement. I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy of Silent Spring Revolution, and I highly recommend it.

Doug was raised in Ohio and from an early age, his parents instilled in him and deep love and respect for wild places, national parks, and the rich history of conservation in the United States. After earning his M.A. and Ph.D. from Georgetown University, Doug began his career as a professor and historian, and he went on to teach at numerous prestigious institutions, including the US Naval Academy, Princeton, Hofstra, Tulane, and, most recently, Rice University. The prolific nature of Doug’s writing life is hard to comprehend– he’s written extensively about everyone from TR to FDR, JFK to Rosa Parks, and about places ranging from the Alaskan Wilderness to the moon. He’s the literary executor of Hunter S. Thompson’s estate and has edited the diaries of Jack Kerouac for two separate books. He’s also served on the boards of numerous conservation organizations and has won awards for his contributions to the conservation movement. And those accomplishments just scratch the surface of his career…

Doug has been a long-time literary hero of mine, and I credit The Wilderness Warrior with fueling my obsession with TR and inspiring me to move out of the real estate business and into land and water conservation work. So when I had the opportunity to join Doug at his home in Austin for a conversation about Silent Spring Revolution, I didn’t hesitate to jump on a plane to Texas. We had a wonderful, wide-ranging conversation about the book, exploring everything from the life and work of Rachel Carson to the TR-like qualities of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas to the environmental legacies of JFK, LBJ, and Nixon. We also talk about Doug’s longstanding personal connection to conservation and how a deep love of teaching is at the core of all of his work. Doug also talks about the roles that art and music play in his life, what gives him hope for the future, and much more. The episode notes are jam-packed with everything we discussed, so be sure to visit the episode webpage for copious resources and links.

Again, I highly recommend Silent Spring Revolution, but really, I highly recommend all of Doug’s work. I greatly appreciate Doug welcoming me into his home and taking the time to chat, I hope you enjoy both this conversation and Silent Spring Revolution as much as I did.

All photos courtesy of Douglas Brinkley

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RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

  • 5:30 – Doug walks us through a brief history of American conservation, as well as his love for Thoreau
  • 9:00 – JFK’s connection to the ocean and how it influenced his conservation ethic
  • 15:30 – Wiliam O’Douglas’s impact on American conservation
  • 20:00 – How Rachel Carson’s work ended up connecting her to JFK
  • 31:30 – The bond that developed between Rachel Carson and JFK
  • 34:30 – The Nixon legacy in American Conservation
  • 41:45 – Sewage treatment and its unexpected contribution to the environmental movement
  • 45:00 – The formation of the Endangered Species Act
  • 46:00 – Doug talks about how he writes, his relationship with teaching, and his National Park travels
  • 52:00 – Doug discusses the more art-focused parts of his life
  • 56:20 – Doug talks about what gives him hope despite climate change

Information Referenced:

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