George Thorndike Angell (June 5, 1823March 16, 1909) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

, and advocate for the humane treatment of animals.

Biography

He was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1846, studied law at the

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, and in 1851 was admitted to the bar in Boston, where he practiced for many years. While attending horse races in 1866 he witnessed two horses being run to death. Motivated by this incident and inspired by the work of

Henry Bergh Henry Bergh (August 29, 1813 – March 12, 1888) founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in April, 1866, three days after the first effective legislation against animal cruelty in the United States was passed ...

in New York, his advocacy for the humane treatment of animals became a lifelong passion. In 1868 he founded and became president of the

Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell Animal Medical Center (MSPCA-Angell) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with its main headquarters on South Huntington Avenue in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Bos ...

, in the same year establishing and becoming editor of ''

Our Dumb Animals ''Our Dumb Animals'' was an American animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. A ...

'', a journal for the promotion of organized effort in securing the humane treatment of animals. For many years he was active in the organization of humane societies in England and America. In 1882, Angell and the Rev. Thomas Timmins initiated the movement to establish

Bands of Mercy Bands of Mercy were formal, locally led organizations that brought people—especially children and adolescents—together to learn about kindness to non-human animals. The Bands would also work to help animals and prevent cruelty in their area thr ...

(for the promotion of humane treatment of animals), of which in 1908 there were more than 72,000 chapters in active existence. In 1889 he founded and became president of the American Humane Education Society. He also became well known as an advocate of laws for the safeguarding of the public health and against adulteration of food.

Death

After suffering from failing health for a long time, he died at his apartments at the Hotel Westminster in Boston at the age of 85. He is buried at

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural cemetery, rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middl ...

, between Cambridge and Watertown.

Selected publications

''Cattle Transportation in the United States''
(1872)
''The Check-Rein''
(1872)
''Protection of Animals''
(1874)
''Autobiographical Sketches and Personal Recollections''
(1882)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Angell, George Thorndike 1823 births 1909 deaths 19th-century American philanthropists American animal welfare scholars American animal welfare workers Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery Dartmouth College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Massachusetts lawyers People associated with the MSPCA-Angell People from Southbridge, Massachusetts