What position did Ballinger take in the Ballinger and Pinchot affair?

Answer 1

Richard Ballinger was appointed to head the Dept. of the Interior by President William Taft in 1909. He sought to undo the conservationist work of former president Theodore Roosevelt, who had started the US National Park System by reserving public land for national parks. Ballinger opened some Alaska coal fields to commercial mining companies. Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot criticized Ballinger publicly and was fired for insubordination.

Answer 2

Ballinger was the Secretary of the Interior during the Ballinger and Pinchot affair. He was accused of unethical conduct and favoritism towards private companies in the management of public lands. Pinchot, the chief of the U.S. Forest Service, opposed Ballinger's actions and the entire episode highlighted the divide between conservationists and those who favored exploitation of Natural Resources.