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Richard Rominger

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Richard Rominger
8th United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
In office
May 12, 1993 – January 20, 2001
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byAnn Veneman
Succeeded byJim Moseley
California Secretary of Food and Agriculture
In office
1977–1982
GovernorJerry Brown
Preceded byLuther T. Wallace
Succeeded byClare Berryhill
Personal details
Born
Richard Rominger

(1927-07-01)July 1, 1927
Woodland, California, U.S.
DiedDecember 21, 2020(2020-12-21) (aged 93)
Winters, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of California, Davis (BS)

Richard Rominger (July 1, 1927 – December 21, 2020) was an American politician who served as the eighth deputy secretary of agriculture from 1993 to 2001 during the administration of Bill Clinton. Rominger previously served as the California secretary of food and agriculture.[1]

Early life and education

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Born in Woodland, California to Albert H. Rominger and Anne Violet Ehrhardt Rominger and raised in Winters, California, Rominger attended his freshman year at Sacramento Junior College then served 14 months in the United States Navy during World War II. He then attended the University of California, Davis and graduated in 1949 with degrees in agronomy and plant sciences.[2] After graduation, Rominger returned to work on his four-generation family farm.[3][4]

Career

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In 1977, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Rominger to head the California Department of Food and Agriculture. He was confirmed by the California State Senate and served in the position until 1982. In 1993, Rominger was appointed by President of the United States Bill Clinton to serve as chief operating officer and Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture.[5] He served in the position until 2001 (the entirety of Clinton's time in office), and returned to their 6,000-acre family farm in California.[6]

During his time at the USDA, Rominger advocated for a new pesticide ban[7] as well as poultry product regulations, a new National Drought Emergency Commission, and the new National Organic Standards.[8] Rominger also had responsibility for supervision of the USDA budget.[9]

Rominger was appointed to the Board of Regents of the University of California in 2004.[10] He has also served on the California Roundtable on Agriculture and the Environment and as president of the board of the American Farmland Trust. Rominger was the chairman and shareholder at Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc., Oryzatech, Inc., and Ag Innovations Network, Inc.[11] Richard was a founding member and the first president of the Yolo County, California land trust.[12]

After his retirement from government service, Rominger was an advocate on issues related to droughts, land conservation, and the impact of climate change on agriculture.[13][14][15]

Richard E. Rominger died at the age of 93 in Winters, California.[16]

Awards

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In 1978, Rominger received the Jerry W. Fielder Memorial Award in recognition of his service to UCD. In 1989, he and his wife Evelyne Rowe Rominger jointly received the Award of Distinction from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.[17] Rominger received the Distinguished Service Award from the California Farm Bureau Federation in 1991 and was named Agriculturalist of Year and the 1992 California State Fair. In 2016, Rominger was selected to receive the UC Davis Medal, the highest honor the university presents to an individual.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Video: A Conversation with the Romingers: Experiences in Washington D.C. and Yolo County". www.uctv.tv. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  2. ^ Ebeling, Walter (1979-01-01). The Fruited Plain: The Story of American Agriculture. University of California Press. p. 389. ISBN 9780520037519.
  3. ^ Waldau, Paul; Patton, Kimberley (2009-05-22). A Communion of Subjects: Animals in Religion, Science, and Ethics. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231136433.
  4. ^ "It's All in the Family: The Rominger West History, Part I". 2011-03-15. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  5. ^ Clinton, William J. (1994-01-01). Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 1993. Best Books on. ISBN 9781623767907.
  6. ^ "Biographical Sketch: Richard Rominger". 2000-05-20. Archived from the original on 2000-05-20. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  7. ^ "Reducing Pesticide Risks". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  8. ^ "Federal Commission on Droughts g". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  9. ^ "Agriculture Department Budget". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  10. ^ "Cal Aggie Alumni Association Names New Alumni Regent". UC Davis. 2004-03-18. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  11. ^ "Richard E. Rominger - Biography". www.marketscreener.com. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  12. ^ "Yolo County Farm Bureau honors Rominger family of Winters". Daily Democrat. 2018-01-19. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  13. ^ "California's Drought, Climate Change and Recommendations for Action". Civil Eats. 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  14. ^ "Video: Farming Today - 9 Billion Mouths to Feed: The Future of Farming (Ep. 1)". www.uctv.tv. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  15. ^ "CDFA Takes Action to the Next Level with 'Scaling-Up Climate Smart Agriculture' two-day event in Sonoma and Marin Counties". CDFA's Planting Seeds Blog. 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  16. ^ "Former USDA Deputy Secretary Rominger dies at 93". AgriPulse. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  17. ^ "Longstanding CRAE Member, Richard Rominger, Awarded UC Davis's Highest Award". www.aginnovations.org. June 5, 2016. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  18. ^ "Richard and Evelyne Rowe Rominger to receive the UC Davis Medal". Davis Enterprise. 2016-05-24. Retrieved 2019-03-29.


[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
Served under: Bill Clinton
May 12, 1993 – January 20, 2001 		Succeeded by
Jim Moseley
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