Cornelius Louis “Neal” Harrington was born August 26, 1891, in Hurley, Wisconsin. He grew up in this small northern Wisconsin lumber and mining center, graduating from Hurley High School in 1908. He attended Ironwood, Michigan, Business College, 1908-09. In September 1908, he entered the University of Wisconsin, where he remained for a year before transferring to the University of Michigan. He received a B.S. in Forestry from Michigan in 1913. Mr. Harrington spent summers of 1910, 1911, and 1912 as an employee of the State Board of Forestry participating in the pioneer phase of organized conservation work in Wisconsin. His tasks included lookout duty, fire fighting, brush burning, nursery work, seed collection, road construction, and logging. Shortly after graduation from Michigan, Harrington passed the Wisconsin civil service examination for Forestry Assistant, and upon his appointment began to work on such projects as the first State Forest Nursery at Trout Lake, tree planting, timber and soil surveys, and forest management. In 1916 he was placed in charge of the Trout Lake Nursery.
Mr. Harrington was drafted into the Army on September 19, 1917. Sent first to Camp Grant, Illinois, he subsequently went to Camp American University, where he was assigned to Co. D, 6th Battalion of the 20th Engineers, a contingent trained expressly for forestry work. His unit left for France in February 1918 on the troop ship S.S. Tuscania which was torpedoed and sunk in the Irish Sea. After a harrowing escape Harrington spent the duration of the war in the French forests, where his unit provided the lumber necessary for the allied war effort. Entering service as a private, he was discharged in June 1919, as a 1st Lieutenant. He married Emily Chisholm in April 1920.
Upon completion of military duty, Harrington was appointed by Gov. Phillip as forester member (State Forester) on the State Conservation Commission. He remained in this capacity until 1923 when he became Superintendent of State Forests and Parks, a position he held until his retirement in 1958. From 1952 to 1954 he also served as Acting State Forester.
After retirement, Mr. Harrington devoted his time to two major projects. One consisted of a vigorous campaign against the “Sticker Plan” for financing state parks and forests, a method which was eventually adopted. The second was writing the history of conservation and forestry in Wisconsin, a task which led him to help establish the Natural Resources History Project, a cooperative program between the Wisconsin Conservation Department and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. The remainder of his life was spent chiefly in gathering material for this project, left unfinished at his death on May 14, 1966.
“Neal” Harrington was characterized by colleagues as a dynamic, personable fellow, thoroughly versed in the requirements of his field. He nonetheless was the center of considerable controversy during his long tenure in the Wisconsin Conservation Department. Charges of gross mismanagement of his division, misappropriation of funds by subordinates, political maneuvering, granting “favors” to friends and relatives, and general insubordination were leveled at him. The controversy reached its zenith in 1954 when a legislative investigation was held. The controversy subsided after the hearing with the appointment of Lester Voigt as Director of the Wisconsin Conservation Department and John A. Beale as Chief State Forester, the position that Harrington had long coveted but failed to secure.
