Columbus Delano

Prior to being appointed Secretary of the Interior, Columbus Delano (1809–1896) had served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and a year as President Grant's commissioner of Internal Revenue. Despite having the longest tenure of any Interior secretary up to that point, Delano could point to few accomplishments and was not considered adept at managing the growing demands on the Department. He did authorize the Hayden Expedition leading to the 1872 creation of Yellowstone National Park but was otherwise plagued by the Red Cloud investigation and the departure of several Indian Commissioners upset over favoritism in awarding contracts. Delano ultimately resigned amid controversy over nepotism, corruption and fraudulent land grants. Upon returning to Ohio, he became a bank president, oversaw the National Wool Growers Association and was a trustee of Kenyon College.