PHILADELPHIA, PA.- James Biddle, 75, a leader in preserving America's homes and landscapes of historic value, died, reported The New York Times.

Richard Moe, President, National Trust for Historic Preservation, wrote: "Both the National Trust and the cause of historic preservation in America have lost a great friend and ardent champion in the death of Jimmy Biddle, who served as president of the Trust from 1968 to 1980.

Jimmy played a major role in shaping the Trust into today’s highly professional and well-respected leader of the nation’s preservation movement. But his contributions reached far beyond this organization. He once told a reporter that “preservation is for everybody” – and this conviction, coupled with his high-profile experience in the museum world and his great personal charm, enabled him to give both the National Trust and the cause of historic preservation greater visibility and credibility than they had ever known before.

He will be greatly missed, but he leaves an enduring legacy."