Artist: Robert Wadsworth Grafton (1876–1936)
Arthur Mastick Hyde
HYDE, ARTHUR MASTICK (1877–1947), inducted 1932
United States Secretary of Agriculture under President Hoover (1929–1933), Arthur Hyde’s tenure in Washington was challenged by declining farm prices and the eventual stock market crash, but his achievements included funding research to control pests, organizing the Federal Drought Relief Committee, and advocating for unemployment relief. Born in Princeton, Missouri, Hyde graduated from the University of Michigan in 1899 and completed his law degree at the University of Iowa in 1900. Settling back in Missouri, he established a successful law practice, purchased an auto dealership, and entered politics as mayor of Princeton, serving 1908–1912. Hyde made a successful bid for governor as well, elected as a progressive reformer (1921–1925). It was his political experience, rather than a strong agricultural background, which led to his term as Secretary of Agriculture.
Source: Saddle & Sirloin Guidebook 2026, p. 116