Robert McClelland

Robert McClelland (1807–1880) served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and two terms as governor of Michigan prior to being appointed secretary of the Interior by President Pierce. Realizing that the Department’s management of public lands, the pension system, and Indian Affairs was susceptible to corruption, McClelland committed to enacting administrative reforms that curried him little favor among land speculators. Upon leaving Washington, D.C., at the conclusion of Pierce's term, McClelland returned to Detroit to practice law.