Richard Lieber

Richard Lieber (September 5, 1869 – April 15, 1944) was a German-American businessman who became the father of the Indiana state parks system.

[2] He spent time in London, England, following his graduation from secondary education, due to his parents' wanting him to learn the English language.

This was with his parents' blessing: they feared he was gaining socialism's attitudes from his time in London after a Christmas trip back to Düsseldorf.

His first job in America was working as a reporter for the Indiana Tribune, eventually marrying Emma Rappaport, the daughter of the owner.

He encouraged Indiana Governor Samuel M. Ralston to start the State Parks Committee, with Lieber as chairman.

With his twenty-man committee, he started acquiring parks, succeeding with McCormick's Creek and Turkey Run both opening on December 11, 1916, without any state funds (The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a major private donor).

In 1921, Lieber and Stephen Mather organized the first nationwide gathering of state park workers, which met at Turkey Run.

[6] Lieber stressed that it was important to charge gate fees for state parks, as it made its users value them more.

"[7] He wrote a book entitled America's natural wealth: A story of the use and abuse of our resources in 1942, with several of his speeches also published.