Stamm, Gilbert G.

Gilbert G. Stamm (1911-1989) had a long and distinguished career in government, which included serving as the Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1973 to 1977. After graduating from Colorado Agricultural College (now Colorado State University) in 1934, with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics, Stamm went to work for the Department of Agriculture. In 1946, Stamm was offered the position of Project Superintendent of the Central Snake Projects Office for the Bureau of Reclamation.

Stamm steadily worked his way up within the Bureau of Reclamation. After becoming Project Superintendent he became an Associate Regional Supervisor of Irrigation, Regional Supervisor of Operations and Maintenance, Assistant Regional Director, Chief of the Division of Irrigation and Land Use, Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, and finally the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation.

During his career with the Bureau, Stamm worked on many major irrigation and dam projects including the Central Arizona Project and the Colorado River Basin Project. He spent much of his time traveling the country with the purpose of educating the public on water resource issues and promoting Reclamation projects.

Stamm earned recognition and awards through his work at the Bureau of Reclamation and his efforts in his community. At the Bureau of Reclamation he earned a Superior Performance Award in 1956, Special Act Award in 1962, a Quality Award in 1963 and a Citation for Distinguished Service in 1968 for his world-wide contribution to land and water resources development. In 1973 Colorado State University named him an honor alumnus.

Though his career in water resources was impressive, unfortunately, Stamm was Commissioner during one of the Bureau's darkest hours. The Teton Dam failure occurred in 1976 and claimed the lives of ten townspeople. Shortly after the Teton Dam failure, Stamm retired from the Bureau of Reclamation and became an international consultant, visiting over thirty foreign countries. Stamm died in 1989, leaving behind his wife and four children.

From the guide to the Papers of Gilbert G. Stamm, 1952-1987, 1972-1977, (Colorado State University Water Resources Archive)