1909 – 1989
Inducted 1991
“I ask myself if I am going to leave the world in as good a shape as when I came into it and what I can do for future generations. What I would hope to do is achieve something for my children and yours and all the others.” – Richard Hemp
Called the “stately, always-gentlemanly activist from Mosinee,” Richard A Hemp demonstrated softspoken conviction for preserving Wisconsin’s natural resources. Hemp attended Neilsville High School and Carthage College. A native of Clark County, Hemp owned and published the Iron County Miner in Hurley, then the Mosinee Times. He was the Mosinee postmaster from 1939 to 1972.
Hemp was first elected to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress in 1943, serving as its chairman from 1948-1952. While serving, he helped lead the Congress on a straight course through the “deer wars” in the 1950s.
With Leslie Woerpel (WCHF Inductee), Hemp founded the Wisconsin Federation of Conservation Clubs in 1949. It later became the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. Hemp served as its executive director and also served on the executive board of the National Wildlife Federation.
A member of the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board from 1978 to 1989, Hemp served on committees dealing with the Outdoor Recreation Act Program, natural beauty and other environmental matters. “I was so certain of his ability to grasp the right course on many issues that I sometimes waited to see how Hemp was going to vote before I voted,” said John Lawton, a respected member of the Natural Resources Board.
He chaired a group that developed Marathon County’s first comprehensive plan for zoning and resource management. A staunch advocate for the environment, Hemp had an easy-going manner. He was named Wisconsin’s Outstanding Conservationist by the Milwaukee County Conservation Alliance in 1959 and recognized by the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and Wisconsin Izaak Walton League. In 1969, he was one of 10 non-professional conservationists in the United States to receive the American Motors Conservation Award.
He loved trout fishing with a fly rod. In his honor, WDNR desiginated a stretch of the Tomorrow River in Portage County near Nelsonville, Wisconsin as “The Richard A. Hemp Fishery Area” in 1989, the year he died. This 1300+ acres is open for public anglers to enjoy.
Memories from Richard Hemp, Jr. 2022: “My dad loved the outdoors and spent a great deal of time in the forest/creek land hunting partridge, woodcock (with a wonderful English Setter) in the fall. He also did tons of fly fishing (brook trout) in waders mostly in north central Wisconsin. My dad developed a neat rugged outdoors look in his appearance and was regarded as an expert bird hunter and fly fisherman. My dad also played a major role challenging the paper mills to clean up their water discharges, especially the Wisconsin River. Most of the mills threatened to shut down, leave the state and eliminate jobs because it cost millions to do the right thing. In the end, the mills reconsidered and cleaned up their discharges. I am very proud of my dad for his vision on the clean water (rivers, streams, tributaries, etc.) among his major achievements.”
Resources
Richard A. Hemp Legislative Citation
Richard A. Hemp State Fishery Area | DNR
Hemp’s contributions won’t be forgotten, article by Jay Reed for The Milwaukee Journal, 1989
The Wisconsin Conservation Congress Gets the Gold, booklet (see page 5), 1984
Richard Hemp presents Wisconsin Wildlife Federation Award to Gordon Bubolz (WCHF Inductee), 1976
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