Arno B. Cammerer

Arno Berthold Cammerer (July 31, 1883 – April 30, 1941) was the third director of the U.S. National Park Service.

Early life Cammerer was born in Arapahoe, Nebraska, in 1883. He was the son of a Lutheran pastor and his wife. He moved to Washington, D.C. in 1904 to work as a civil service bookkeeper, and earned a Bachelor of Law degree at Georgetown Law School in 1911. The Pugsley Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the promotion and development of public parks in the United States and is given out by the American Academy of Park and Recreation Administrators along with the National Park Foundation.

Strained relations with Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes impaired Cammerer's effectiveness and health; he stepped down in 1940 following a heart attack the previous year. He became the service's eastern regional director.

Death and legacy After suffering another heart attack, Cammerer died on April 30, 1941. The official NPS biography says that "Cammerer's contributions to the National Park Service were legion."

Mount Cammerer, on the Northeastern fringe of the Great Smoky Mountains is named for Cammerer, as he had played a prominent role in the acquisition of the park.