Stephen Tyng Mather (July 4, 1867 – January 22, 1930)[3] was an American industrialist and conservationist who was the first director of the National Park Service.

With his friend the journalist Robert Sterling Yard, Mather led a publicity campaign to promote the creation of a unified federal agency to oversee National Parks administration, which was established in 1916.

He served until 1929, during which time Mather created a professional civil service organization, increased the numbers of parks and national monuments, and established systematic criteria for adding new properties to the federal system.

In particular he is credited with the idea of adding the label "20 Mule Team Borax" to the company's product, which subsequently became a household name throughout the country.

After suffering a severe episode of bipolar disorder in 1903 and having his salary withheld during extended sick leave, Mather resigned from Pacific Coast and joined Thorkildsen full-time in 1904.

He was active in the group and made numerous allies who helped support the creation of the National Park Service.

[6] In 1915, Mather became a member of the Boone and Crockett Club, a conservation organization founded by Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell in 1887.

Here's the traditional, if incorrect, story: In 1914, Mather observed the deteriorating conditions in several National Parks, and wrote a letter of protest to Washington.

[citation needed] Mather did go to Washington as assistant secretary of the Interior, and lobbied for the establishment of a bureau to operate the national parks.

He also led efforts to publicize the National Parks and develop wider appreciation for their scenic beauty among the population.

Mather agreed to stay on, and with Albright, helped establish the new federal agency to protect and manage the national parks, together with a new appreciation for their wonders.

He believed that once more of the public had visited the parks and enjoyed a comfortable stay in concessionaire facilities then[9] they would become supporters for the fledgling agency and its holdings.

[1] Periodically disabled by bipolar disorder (manic-depression), Mather had to take some leaves from work and Albright continued in their mutual understanding of the task.