Hubert Work, M.D.

Hubert Work's uncommon path to a Cabinet position was as a medical doctor. He founded Woodcroft Hospital in Colorado, was in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World War I, and served as president of the American Medical Association. For his organizational skills, President Harding made Work (1860–1942) an assistant postmaster general and then postmaster general. In the wake of Secretary Fall's scandal-ridden resignation, Work was named secretary of the Interior, and he adeptly charted a new course for the Department under two presidents. Hallmarks of his tenure included significant fiscal savings and administrative efficiencies; to eliminate clock watchers, he reputedly had all office clocks in the headquarters removed. In 1923 the Department's Reclamation Service was renamed the Bureau of Reclamation. The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 increased rights for American Indians, and Work was personally attentive to the Office of Indian Affairs, increasing its emphasis on health services. After leaving office, Work ran Herbert Hoover's successful presidential campaign and then returned to medicine. He is interred at Arlington National Cemetery.