Robert Fechner (March 22, 1876 – December 31, 1939) was a national labor union leader and director of the Civilian Conservation Corps (1933–39), which played a central role in the development of state and national parks in the United States.

Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee,[1] with only a public school elementary education he rose to become an American labor union leader and vice president of the International Association of Machinists.

[2][3] On April 5, 1933 he was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to be the Director of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

It was Fechner's fairness and ability for organization and administration that impressed the president to his appointment as director.

He felt that the government was doing all it possibly could for the well-being of the enrollees: well fed, supporting dependents with monthly earnings, getting an education; and they were contributing in a constructive manner to the conservation needs of the nation.