Harlean James (1877-1969) received the Pugsley Bronze Medal in 1942 “for her years of devoted service in the interest of America’s parks.” Subsequently, in 1952 she was awarded the Pugsley Gold Medal. “for constantly and effectively espousing the cause of parks at all levels of government, but particularly at the state and national levels through articles, editorials, speeches, correspondence and testimony given before Congressional Committees.”
She was born in Mattoon, Illinois, and James received her B.A. degree in history from Stanford University in 1898. It was her intent to become a history teacher. There she came under the influence of a great history professor, George Elliott. James later commented “He made me realize that events are caused by people that people decide things. And that is something I have never forgotten.” She undertook graduate studies at both the University of Chicago and Columbia University. After completing her educational endeavors, James began her career as a court reporter in Honolulu. She worked as a private secretary for the collector of customs in Honolulu from 1903-1904, transitioning into a role as the general manager of the California and Hawaiian Sugar Refining Co. in San Francisco from 1905-1906, and then working as the corporate secretary of the J.B. Castle companies in Honolulu from 1906-1908.
Moving to the east, James acquired a farm in Maryland and settled down to the tasks of “farming it” in earnest. Then the superintendent of schools in Baltimore asked her to consider the position of executive secretary of the newly organized Women’s Civic League. She remained in this position from 1911 to 1916. She subsequently moved to Washington to take a one-year position as the executive secretary of the Housing Section of the National Council of Defense. This involved issues of planning and development and led to her role as the executive secretary of the U.S. Housing Corporation within the Department of Labor in 1918 and to the position of general manager of the Government Hotels for women from 1919-1920. She took this position reluctantly but the officials of the Housing Cooperation wanted to install a new accounting system and prevailed upon her to do it. During this time, James was also working on her first book, The Building of Cities (1916).
James played a central role in the establishment of parks in the US during the first half of the twentieth century. Her involvement with state parks was especially prominent. She became involved through her association with the Civic Association, which she had served as executive secretary since 1921. In 1935, this organization merged with the National Conference on City Planning to form the American Planning and Civic Association, which in turn was asked to serve as a secretariat for the National Conference on State Parks. Thus, James took on the added responsibility of executive secretary of the National Conference on State Parks beginning in 1935 and remained in that position until 1958. This meant that James spent 37 years as executive secretary of this organization and its predecessor advocating for citizen involvement in making American communities better places in which to live and in the conservation and wise use of natural resources. She was described as “the tall, grave lady with the warm smile.” Upon her retirement, she was made a member of the board of directors. In her tenure as executive secretary, she also served at a collaborator to the Branch of Plans and Designs for the Historic American Building Survey division of the National Park Service, and was on the Advisory Committee on Conservation of the Department of Interior.
When she moved to the American Civic Association, its leaders were centrally involved in the movement to create the National Park Service. As executive secretary, one of James’ challenges was to secure financial support for the organization and ensure it remained financially viable. She achieved this by securing the support of the Russell Sage Foundation. Commenting on her impeccable record of keeping the organization viable she observed. “Give always; heed the feeling that women are actually better economizers than men. Women know they must secure the money before they can spend it.” As a prominent female in the parks and conservation movement, James was a pioneer.” She commented;
You know, there were always some people who made a fuss about “lone women” going into remote park areas with men. I remember Harold Bryant insisted that we should have another woman along on the pack train trip along the John Muir trail from Yosemite to Sequoia in the Sierra Mountains and he was fearful the strain of the climb would be too great for any female. But I must say I walked right out of there upright and he sprained his back and came out hobbling.
James played a role in the development of the Appalachian Trail. As executive secretary of the American Civic Association, Benton MacKaye and his supporters approached her to organize an “Appalachian Trail Conference” in Washington D.C. in 1925. Motivated as well by a personal interest in the Trail project (she had attended an earlier meeting in 1923 at Bear Mountain with other advocates), she proved to be the ideal person to organize this critical first Appalachian Trail conference.
In addition to her involvement with parks, James was influential in establishing zoning in the United States. Her book, Land Planning in the United States published in 1926 was the culmination of substantial contributions she made on the topic. A contemporary reviewer observed, “Miss James’ work is well known and her articles have attracted widespread and deserved attention.” Another reviewer of this book noted she “has not merely compiled salient facts regarding the problems of planning as they relate to the present and future. She has long been a diligent student of these subjects, is highly trained in all that pertains to modern social progress and has been an inspiring worker and adviser in practical movements for the remaking and modernizing of our American communities.” When Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce in 1928 and a classmate of James at Stanford, issued a Standard City Planning Act, he commented that this act was instigated “under the persuasive influence of Harlean James,” in her role as the executive secretary of the American Planning and Civic Association. In deed, Hoover knew her so well he called her “sister”. The Association advocated that zoning be undertaken as a part of a city’s long-range development plans.
James was involved in the President’s Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership and served as the chairperson of the committee on organization programs and as the secretary of the committee on education and service. In addition, she served as the secretary-treasurer of the Joint Commission on the National Capital and as a consultant to the Defense Housing Coordinator in the office of Emergency Management (1941).
Harlean James’ dedicated commitment in numerous areas of service earned her widespread recognition. In addition to her Pugsley awards she received the outstanding service award from the American Society of Planning Officials in 1954. She was appointed an honorary vice president of the American Foresting Association and inducted into several groups including the American Institute of Planners, American Society of Landscape Architects, and the American Institute of Architects.
James was a prolific and influential writer. She authored three influential books: The Building of Cities (1916), Land Planning in the U.S. for the City, State and Nation (1926), and Romance of the National Parks (1939). A review of the latter volume in the New York Times concluded, “It is an impressive and straightforwardly written story and its pictures make us realize how worthwhile all the work of conservation has been.” She was editor of several publications including What About the Year 2000? (1929), the American Planning and Civic Association’s Annuals (1927-57), and 25th Anniversary Yearbook on Park and Recreation Progress (1942). She served as the associate editor of Federal Affairs in National Municipal Review and the New Washington and Civic Art section of the American Magazine of Art. In addition to these publications, James contributed several entries to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
James’ commitment to the National Park system and to America in general was evidenced by her involvement on numerous committees, and her distinguished service in such a wide variety of areas. She had strong connections to many of the major figures in the early parks field as a graduate of Stanford with close lies to Berkeley, and in addition to Hoover she was a close associate of John D. Rockefeller Jr. She personally investigated and reported upon the proposals for the establishment of Kings Canyon and Olympic National Parks, Jackson Hole National Monument and areas in The Cascades, as well as a number of Natural Forest Wilderness Areas. Her passion for what the park system offered visitors is abundantly clear in this quote from Romance of the National Parks (1939):
Perhaps in the soul-satisfying beauties of our national parks and other sacred regions we shall find that we can regain something of that poise of outlook and courage in action which contact with unspoiled Nature may confer on human beings, and so ensure a continuance of our civilization on the lands which were so lately conquered by our ancestors. Let us cherish the domain we have received from the hands of Nature, and in using it for our collective enjoyment manage it wisely and damage it as little as possible. Let us study the pages of its story. Let us sense its romance. And finally, let us receive its benediction.