Douglas McKay
| Douglas McKay | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 35th United States Secretary of the Interior | |
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In office January 21, 1953 – April 15, 1956 |
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| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Oscar L. Chapman |
| Succeeded by | Fred A. Seaton |
| 25th Governor of Oregon | |
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In office January 10, 1949 – December 27, 1952 |
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| Preceded by | John H. Hall |
| Succeeded by | Paul L. Patterson |
| Member of the Oregon Senate | |
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In office 1934 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Douglas McKay June 24, 1893 Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Died | July 22, 1959 (aged 66) Salem, Oregon, United States |
| Resting place | Belcrest Memorial Park in Salem, Oregon, United States |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Mabel Christine Hill (m. 1917 - 1959, his death) |
| Children | Douglas McKay, Jr. Shirley McKay Marylou McKay |
| Alma mater | Oregon State College |
| Profession | Farmer Automobile dealer Politician |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
James Douglas McKay (June 24, 1893 – July 22, 1959) was a businessman and politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. He served in World War I before going into business, where he was most successful as a car dealership owner in Salem. A Republican, he served as a city councilor and mayor of Salem before election to the Oregon State Senate. McKay served four terms in the state senate, also fought in World War II, and was then elected as the twenty-fifth governor of Oregon in 1948. He left that office before the end of his term when he was selected as the thirty-fifth U.S. Secretary of the Interior during the Eisenhower administration.
McKay was born in Portland, Oregon, to farmer Edwin D. McKay and his wife Minnie A. Musgrove. His family's limited means required him to work while still a schoolboy. After his father's death in 1911, McKay was forced to leave school before receiving a high school diploma.
He was admitted to Oregon State College in Corvallis as an agriculture student at the age of twenty. McKay was elected student body president in 1916. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and married Mabel Christine Hill on March 31, 1917. They had one son and two daughters: Douglas, Shirley and Marylou McKay.
During World War I, he served with the United States Army in Europe, where he advanced to the rank of first lieutenant. He sustained an injury in battle to his leg, right arm, and shoulder, which earned him a Purple Heart. Upon discharge, the disability prevented him from performing the strenuous activities involved with farming, so he began a business career in Portland selling insurance, and then automobiles, rising to the position of sales manager. After the move to the sales manager position, the company sent him to Salem, where he was in charge of their dealership in that city.
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