Russell Train gave up his career as a judge for the US Tax Court to work on conservation, after a safari trip in Kenya opened his eyes to the beauty of wildlife and the dangers posed by poachers. He died on Monday at his farm in Maryland at the age of 92.
Train was the second administrator of the brand new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). "His years with the agency saw landmark environmental achievements whose impacts are still felt," Lisa Jackson, current head of the EPA, said in a statement. During his tenure, he helped create landmark environmental laws, such as the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Air Act.
Train became the first president of the World Wildlife Fund’s America chapter, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991.
"Russell Train was a pioneer in the modern environmental movement and deserves the thanks of every American, indeed every citizen of the world, for his life's work," William Ruckelshaus, the first EPA administrator, told the Los Angeles Times.