Curtis, Albert B. (Albert Bruce), 1903-1985

Chief fire warden.

From the description of Reminiscences of Albert B. Curtis : oral history, 1956. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 122587205

Fire Warden, Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association, 1927-1968; Mayor of Orofino, Idaho, 1951-1970.

From the description of Papers, 1927-1977. (University of Idaho Library). WorldCat record id: 42928207

Member, Public Land Law Review Commission, 1965-1970.

From the description of Papers, 1964-1970. (University of Idaho Library). WorldCat record id: 42926543

A.B. "Bert" Curtis was born on a ranch near Salem, Oregon, August 1, 1903. His parents, Charles Garret Curtis of Independence, Missouri, and Elizabeth Ann Milne, who was born near Dundee, Scotland, were early pioneers. When the family moved to Orofino, Idaho, in 1912 Charles Curtis operated the Cottage Hotel for a time before he returned to ranching.

Having attended high school in both Orofino, where he was on the football team, and Plummer, from which he graduated in 1921, Bert entered the University of Idaho where he remained for one year. He then attended Lewiston State Normal School where he received his teacher's diploma after two years of study. He taught and coached athletics in Fernwood for a while, then returned to the University of Idaho for two more years. He married Alene Honeywell of Clear Lake, South Dakota, in Moscow on December 21, 1928. They have five children, four sons and a daughter.

In 1918 he began his 50 year association with the Clearwater Timber Protective Association when, due to the manpower shortage caused by the war, Theodore Fohl hired the 15 year old Curtis as a waterboy, carrying water to the firefighters. He spent his summers until 1925 working for the association, then in May 1926 he began full-time work. In 1927 he was appointed Assistant Chief Fire Warden for the association and a year later was appointed Chief. In 1945 he was made Chief Fire Warden and Manager of the Potlatch Timber Protective Association, and in that same year he became State Fire Warden. In 1966 the Clearwater and Potlatch Timber Protective Associations were combined and Curtis remained Chief Fire Warden of the new organization until he retired in August 1968.

In 1950 Curtis was elected mayor of Orofino, a position he held for 23 years, during which the city completed a large water and sewage treatment plant. In 1958 he tried unsuccessfully to unseat Gracie Pfost, the Democratic incumbent representing Idaho's First District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

He was a strong supporter of Senator Henry Dworshak on the Bruces Eddy (now Dworshak) Dam issue, and was one of the primary figures in obtaining approval and funds for the construction. In 1972 he was awarded the Department of the Army Certificate for Patriotic Civilian Service for his assistance to the Corps of Engineers in building the dam. Among his other awards are the Idaho Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Citizen award (1968), and a 38 years of distinguished service award presented by public and private Idaho forestry associations in 1956.

He has been active in the Chamber of Commerce, Association of Idaho Cities, was an original incorporator of the Clearwater Economic Development Association, was active in the Idaho Municipal League, served on the Inland Waterways Association, and from 1965 to 1970 he represented the timber industry as a member of the Public Land Law Review Commission. His memberships in forestry organizations include the American Forestry Association, Society of American Foresters - Inland Empire Section, and the Western Forestry and Conservation Association. He was also a founding member of the University of Idaho Advisory Research Council, president of the Alumni Association, and a member of the Athletic Advisory Committee. He was president of two mining concerns, Orofino Lime Products and Oxford Copper Mining Company near Pierce. His memberships in fraternal organizations include the Masons, Shriners, and Elks. He is also active in the Kiwanis Club of Orofino.

At the present time (1983) Bert and Alene Curtis live in Orofino where he is completing a book on the history of forestry in Clearwater County.

From the guide to the Papers, 1927-1977, (University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives)

A.B. "Bert" Curtis was born on a ranch near Salem, Oregon, August 1, 1903. His parents, Charles Garret Curtis of Independence, Missouri, and Elizabeth Ann Milne, who was born near Dundee, Scotland, were early pioneers. The family moved to Orofino, Idaho, in 1912 where Charles Curtis operated a hotel for a time before returning to ranching.

Having attended high school in both Orofino and Plummer, Bert entered the University of Idaho where he remained for one year. He then attended Lewiston State Normal School where he received his teacher's diploma after two years of study. He taught and coached athletics in Fernwood for a while, then returned to the University of Idaho for two more years. On December 21, 1920, A.B. Curtis married Alene Honeywell of Clear Lake, South Dakota. They had five children, four sons and a daughter.

In 1927 Curtis was appointed Assistant Chief Fire Warden for the Clearwater Timber Protective Association; a year later he was appointed Chief. In 1945 he was made Chief Fire Warden and Manager of the Potlatch Timber Protective Association, and in that same year he became State Fire Warden. In 1966 the Clearwater and Potlatch Timber Protective Associations combined and Curtis remained Chief Fire Warden of the new organization until he retired in August 1968. He was president of two mining concerns, Orofino Lime Products and Oxford Copper Mining Company near Pierce. He represented Idaho as a Director on the Inland Waterways Association, and was a founding member of the University of Idaho Advisory Research Council. In 1956 he received a national award for outstanding service in state, federal, and private forestry. From 1965 to 1970 he represented the timber interest as a member of the Advisory Council of the Public Land Law Review Commission.

In 1951 Bert Curtis was elected mayor of Orofino, a position he held for some 20 years. In 1958 he tried unsuccessfully to unseat Gracie Pfost, the Democratic incumbent representing Idaho's First District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

At the time this inventory was prepared (October 1980) Curtis was still living in Orofino.

THE PUBLIC LAND LAW REVIEW COMMISSION

Public law 88-606 passed by Congress in 1964 established the Public Land Law Review Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the policies applicable to the use, management, and disposition of the public lands of the United States. Public lands, as defined by the law and included in the commission study, were public domain, federal reservations other than Indian, all national forests, wildlife refuges and ranges; these lands comprised about one-third of the area of the nation. The law also set a deadline of December 31, 1968, for the commission to make its final report to the President. After Congressional hearings held in April 1967 an eighteen month extension was granted.

The commission was composed of nineteen members, six appointed by the President of the United States, six by the president of the Senate and six by the Speaker of the House; the nineteenth member was chosen by the first eighteen to act as chairman. Due to election results in the years of the commission's existence the membership changed slightly. The first organizational meeting was held on July 14, 1965. An advisory council of eight federal government and twenty-five non federal government members was appointed by the commission; governors of the states were also asked to name representatives to work with the commission and advisory council.

The commission held public hearings in various sections of the country and the members of the commission, advisory council and governors' representatives toured the public lands of each area after the meetings. Reports on many aspects of public land problems were written, many by outside agencies, and from these reports the commission compiled its final report, One Third of the Nation's Land, which it presented to President Richard Nixon on June 27, 1970. The commission ceased to exist on December 22, 1970.

From the guide to the Papers, 1964-1970, (University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives)