 Eckhart successfully petitioned United States Secretary of War Russell A. Alger to allow the project to draw waters from Lake Michigan.Eckhart presided over the Millers' National Federation from 1902 until 1904 and served as president of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association in 1903.He was president of the West Chicago Board of Park Commissioners from 1905 to 1908; Eckhart Park is named after him.