David Ross Brower, Leader of the Environmental Movement: July 1, 1912 – November 5, 2000
Photograph by Tom Turner |
David Ross Brower, outstanding champion of the Environmental Movement died Sunday, November 5, 2000 at his home in Berkeley, California. Described by many environmentalists as "a twentieth century John Muir," Brower was uncompromising in his commitment to the preservation of the natural environment. At various times in his long and dedicated career Brower led The Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, and Earth Island Institute, and through his efforts drew a broad range of popular support to the Environmental Movement and its causes. Brower was a provocative writer and speaker and a discerning editor and photographer. In addition, he was an avid hiker and was skilled in ski mountaineering and rock climbing. These sporting and recreational interests complemented Brower's leadership as an advocate for the natural landscape and its inhabitants. |
David Brower's career can be traced here at The Bancroft Library through his personal papers and oral histories, and through the records of several environmental organizations. The first gathering of David Brower's Papers came to Bancroft as part of the Sierra Club Papers. Founded in 1892 by John Muir and others, the Sierra Club was organized, "to explore, enjoy, and render accessible the mountain regions of the Pacific Coast; to publish authentic information concerning them . . . [and] to enlist the support and cooperation of the people and government in preserving the forests and other natural features of the Sierra Nevada." This historical legacy and activist commitment exemplified by Muir, finds one of its most successful, if controversial, twentieth century spokespersons in David Ross Brower.
Brower joined the Sierra Club in 1933, became a member of its Board of Directors in 1941, and served as its first Executive Director in 1952, a post he held until 1969. Brower would return at various times in the 1980s and 1990s to serve on the Club's Board of Directors. His activist position is well documented in both the Sierra Club's institutional papers as well as Brower's Sierra Club Members Papers. These records document Brower's many campaigns to conserve the environment, including the long fight to stop the building of dams and roads within national parks and the loss of the Club's tax-exempt status as a direct result of political lobbying. Among his successful battles, Brower was a major force in the 1960s in stopping the construction of two government dams in the Grand Canyon. He also was instrumental in lobbying to block a proposed dam along the Green River in Utah, a project that would have flooded parts of Dinosaur National Monument. Brower helped gain passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964 which preserves millions of acres of public lands. He also created the genre of "exhibit format" books of superlative outdoor photography, tied to a conservation theme, and pioneered the practice of running full-page environmental campaign advertisements in newspapers. All these efforts are richly recorded in documents at The Bancroft Library.
After leaving the Sierra Club, Brower went on to found Friends of the Earth (FOE) in 1969. The Bancroft Library is the repository for the FOE Papers, a collection that documents the evolution of the environmental movement from the local and regional level to issues of global concern. With FOE, Brower's work took on an international perspective, including the founding of independent FOE organizations in other countries. Friends of the Earth continues today with operations in sixty-eight countries.
David Brower founded Earth Island Institute in 1982, an umbrella organization which works globally in support of innovative environmental projects. Earth Island Institute, through its various projects, works towards efforts related to global peace, environmental preservation, and social justice.
The personal papers of David Brower, also housed in The Bancroft Library, provide another level of insight into this public figure. The materials include correspondence files, diaries, clippings, speeches, and subject files associated with his work and activities in conservation and environmental protection. The Regional Oral History Office (ROHO) at The Bancroft Library created a number of oral histories with David Brower, further documenting his environmental activities and other aspects of his life.
These historical resources related to Brower document the environmental movement's path in the twentieth century and also reflect a collecting priority for The Bancroft Library. The Brower Papers serve as a cornerstone for our environmental collections and the papers of the organizations and individuals dedicated to the preservation of the environment represent one of The Bancroft Library's most heavily-used subject collections. The history of California and the American West is intimately linked with this topic, and scholars, students, and citizens of the world will benefit from the use of these materials for years to come.
—Theresa Salazar
Curator of Western Americana
Volume 118
Spring 2001
Table of Contents
With the Free Speech Movement Collections, You are There
From the Director: The Bancroft–Wells Fargo Audiotape Project
A Wrong Turn Led to a Half-Century of Service
Latin American Treasures on Display at the Bancroft
Collecting the California Feminist Press Materials
Bernard Rosenthal, the Antiquarian, Scholar, and Friend of The Bancroft Library
David Ross Brower, Leader of the Environmental Movement
Home at Last—Four Manuscript Chapters of Mark Twain's A Tramp Abroad Come to Bancroft
Willa Baum, ROHO Director, is Honored on Her Retirement
Wedding Bells and Fond Farewells
