Background
Wickard was born on his family farm in Carroll County, Indiana, near Camden, on February 28, 1893. He was born to Iva Lenora (née Kirkpatrick) and Andrew Jackson Wickard.
politician Member of the Indiana State Senate
Wickard was born on his family farm in Carroll County, Indiana, near Camden, on February 28, 1893. He was born to Iva Lenora (née Kirkpatrick) and Andrew Jackson Wickard.
He graduated from Purdue University in 1915 with a bachelor"s degree in agriculture, and was chosen as "Master Farmer of Indiana" in 1927, for his improvements in stock feeding and farming.
He was elected from the Indiana Senate in 1932, and was appointed as Undersecretary of Agriculture. When Henry A. Wallace resigned as the Secretary of Agriculture in September 1940 to run for Vice-President in the 1940 presidential election, Wickard was appointed to the post. He ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic candidate for the United States. Senate in 1956, losing to incumbent Homer East. Capehart.
Wickard was killed in an automobile accident and died on April 29, 1967.
Reportedly, he ran a stop sign at the intersection of Indiana State Road 18 and the United States. Highway 421 near Delphi, Indiana, and his vehicle was hit by a crushed-stone truck. He is interred in Maple Lawn Cemetery in Flora, Indiana.
During World World War II, Wickard headed the War Food Administration, promoting increased farmer production as a matter of patriotism.