Robert Sterling Yard

Born in Haverstraw, New York, in 1861, Robert Sterling Yard built his early career in journalism and publishing after graduating from Princeton. He worked for New York newspapers and in magazine publishing before turning his attention to the growing movement to protect America's scenic landscapes.

Yard became closely associated with the national parks during the 1910s, when Stephen Mather brought him in to help publicize the case for a dedicated National Park Service. He wrote influential promotional and interpretive works about the parks, including The National Parks Portfolio, helping introduce a wide readership to places that were still unfamiliar to much of the country.

He later became a leading voice in conservation advocacy as executive secretary of the National Parks Association. Remembered as both a skilled writer and a determined wilderness activist, he played an important part in the early public story of the American national parks.