The papers of Lyle Watts contain correspondence, memorandums, photographs, articles, and speeches primarily related to Watts’ career with the U.S. Forest Service.

Size: 3 linear feet (approximately 4,800 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: Copyright in the unpublished writings of Lyle Watts in these papers has been donated to the people of the United States. In addition, documents prepared by United States government employees in the course of their official duties are also in the public domain. Copyright interest in documents that do not fall into these two categories is presumed to remain with the creators of the documents.
Processed by: Jan Davis, Sharie Simon, Randy Sowell and David Clark (2007).

1890 (November 18)		Born, Cerro Gordo, Iowa
1913		B.S. in Forestry, Iowa State College
1913-1928		Forester, U. S. Forest Service
1928		M.A. in Forestry, Iowa State College
1928-1929		Dean, School of Forestry at Utah State Agricultural College
1929-1936		Senior Silviculturist at the Intermountain Forest and Range Station at Ogden, Utah; Director, Northern Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Stations in Missoula, Montana; U.S. Forest Service
1936-1939		Regional Forester, North Central Region, U.S. Forest Service
1939-1943		Regional Forester, North Pacific Region, U.S. Forest Service
1943-1952		Chief Forester, U.S. Forest Service
1944-1945		Member, Technical Committee on Forestry and Primary Forest Products, United Nations Interim Commission on Food and Agriculture
1945-1951		Technical Advisor to the U.S. Delegate and Chairman, Advisory Committee on Forestry, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
1962 (June 15)		Died, Portland, Oregon

The papers of Lyle Watts contain correspondence, memorandums, photographs, articles, and speeches related to Watts’ career in the U.S. Forest Service, which spanned four decades. Watts began his career as a forester in 1913 and retired in 1952 as the Chief of the Forest Service. The collection consists of four series: the Subject File, Personal Correspondence File, Photographs File, and Articles and Addresses File.

The Subject File consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, printed materials, and reports relating to Watts’ Forest Service career and his personal life. Other topics include the American Forestry Association, Citizen’s Committee on Natural Resources, Izaak Walton League, Klamath Indians, Democratic National Committee and Water Resources Committee. Also included is correspondence with Congresswoman Edith Green, Senator Wayne Morse, and Senator Richard “Dick” Neuberger.

The Personal Correspondence File contains documents mostly of a personal nature but still pertaining to Watts’ career with the Forest Service including biographical information, legislation, congratulatory letters, and club memberships. The Photographs File consists of photographs of Lyle Watts, Smoky the Bear, and Forest Service staff, lands and buildings.

The Articles and Addresses File consists of Watts’ Master’s thesis, memorandums, reports, speeches and articles related to Forest Service activities and policies, wildlife, recreation, industry, World War II, conservation, agriculture, federal appropriations and budgets, forest fires, and water resources.

Related collections at the Truman Library include the papers of Clinton Anderson and Charles Brannan, both of whom served as Secretary of Agriculture during the Truman administration. The papers and oral history interview of Daniel Goldy also contain information on government forest policy during this period.

Container Nos.		Series
1-3		SUBJECT FILE, 1913-1962
		Correspondence, newspaper clippings, printed materials, and reports relating to Watts’ Forest Service career and his personal life. Arranged alphabetically.
4		PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE FILE, 1929-1953
		Correspondence, newspapers clippings, and printed materials of a personal nature but mostly pertaining to Watts’ career with the Forest Service. Arranged chronologically.
4		PHOTOGRAPHS FILE, 1910-1953
		Photographs of Lyle Watts, Smoky the Bear, and Forest Service staff, lands and buildings. Arranged alphabetically.
4-6		ARTICLES AND ADDRESSES FILE, 1927-1957
		Watts’ Master’s thesis, articles, Forest Service memorandums, reports, and speeches. Arranged chronologically.

SUBJECT FILE, 1913-1962

• American Forestry Association
• Biographical Material
• Citizen’s Committee on Natural Resources
• Congratulatory Letters and Acknowledgements
• Correspondence Regarding Death of Lyle Watts
• Correspondence Regarding Move to Portland
• Forest Service Correspondence
  [1 of 3, 1915-1954]
  [2 of 3, 1955-1957]
  [3 of 3, 1958-1962]

• Forest Service Scrapbook
• Green, Edith
• Honors and Awards
• Izaak Walton League
• Klamath Indian Legislation
• Legislation—Grazing
• Morse, Wayne
• Neuberger, Dick
  [1 of 2]

[2 of 2]
• Personnel, Retirement
• Political
• Printed Materials
  [1 of 2, 1935-1954]
  [2 of 2, 1955-1957]
• Quetico-Superior Area
• Water Resources Committee

PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE FILE, 1929-1953

• 1929-1942
• 1943-1946
• 1947-1953

PHOTOGRAPHS FILE, 1910-1953

• Forest Service
• Forest Service, Region 1 to Region 10
• Glass Plate Photographs [Cross Reference Sheet]
• Picture Memories of Region Nine
• Regional Office Personnel of Region Nine
• Smokey the Bear

ARTICLES AND ADDRESSES FILE, 1927-1957

• 1927-1934
• 1935-1937

• 1938-1939
• 1940
• 1941-1942
• 1943
• 1944-1945
• 1946

• 1947-1948
• 1949-1950
• 1951-1952
• 1953-1954
• 1955-1957

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