Arthur Cuming Ringland

Who was Arthur Cuming Ringland?

Arthur Ringland is best known as the principal founder of CARE. Ringland began his lifelong government career in 1900 when he joined the U.S. Forest Service where he helped establish the national park and national forest system. Between 1900 and 1945, Arthur Ringland led a variety of government programs that ranged from conservation work to refugee relief. In 1945 he originated the concept of the private voluntary organization that became CARE. A principal aspect of that work was persuading the government to provide ships to transport food packages that had been donated for the needy in Europe. He thus became known as "the father of CARE," and was honored for his efforts by the United Nations in 1958.

"He was born in New York, received his master’s degree in forestry at the Sheffield School of Science, Yale University. He entered Federal Forest work while still a student in 1900.

In 1905, the year the modern Forest Service was created as an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mr. Ringland was assigned to the Southwest. As one of the first graduate foresters ever to work in the area, he was appointed Forest Assistant on the Lincoln National Forest. From 1908 to 1916 he was District Forester for the Southwestern Region. He led the survey crew that established the boundaries of the National Forests in the Region and a pioneer of fire planning.