William Dempster Hoard (October 10, 1836November 22, 1918) was an American politician, newspaper publisher, and agriculture advocate who served as the
16th governor of
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
from 1889 to 1891.
Hoard is called the "father of modern dairying";
his advocacy for scientific agriculture and the expansion of dairy farming has been credited with changing Wisconsin's agricultural economy. Hoard's promotion of the use of silos and
alfalfa
Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...
for cattle feed, testing for
bovine tuberculosis
Bovines ( subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship betw ...
, and single-use cattle herds in his magazine ''
Hoard's Dairyman
''Hoards Dairyman'' is an American agricultural trade publication that focuses on dairy farming. It was founded in 1885 by William D. Hoard as a supplement to the ''Jefferson County Union'' and is published in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.
History
...
'' led to those practices becoming commonplace throughout the United States. His work with the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association led to the exporting of Wisconsin dairy products to the East Coast and national renown for them.
As editor of his newspaper the ''Jefferson County Union'', Hoard was one the first county news editors to expand his coverage through the use of local correspondents and to include a strongly voiced editorial page in a small newspaper, which he used to advocate for improved farming practices and dairy farming.
As Governor of Wisconsin, Hoard established the Dairy and Food Commission—one of the first
food inspection
Food safety (or food hygiene) is used as a scientific method/discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent food-borne illness. The occurrence of two or more cases of a similar illness resulting from t ...
agencies in the United States—and passed a controversial, short-lived
compulsory education law that required all students in the state be taught in English as part of the
Americanization
Americanization or Americanisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is the influence of American culture and business on other countries outside the America, United ...
process for German and Scandinavian immigrants.
Early life and education
William D. Hoard was born on October 10, 1836, in
Munnsville, New York
Munnsville is a village located in the Town of Stockbridge in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 474 at the 2010 census. The village is named for an early settler, Asa Munn, and located on New York State Route 46.
Histo ...
, to William Bradford Hoard and Sarah Katherine White Hoard. He was the eldest of four children.
His father was a blacksmith and
itinerant
An itinerant is a person who travels habitually. Itinerant may refer to:
*"Travellers" or itinerant groups in Europe
*Itinerant preacher, also known as itinerant minister
*Travelling salespeople, see door-to-door, hawker, and peddler
*Travelling sh ...
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
minister who preached to
Oneida people
The Oneida people (autonym: Onʌyoteˀa·ká·, Onyota'a:ka, ''the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone'', ''Thwahrù·nęʼ'' in Tuscarora) are a Native American tribe and First Nations band. They are one of the five founding nat ...
.
Hoard was educated in a log
schoolhouse that was built by his grandfather Enos, who also maintained a library. The library and encouragement from Hoard's mother led to a passion for reading.
At age 16, Hoard left school to work as a farmhand for Waterman Simons, a neighboring dairy farmer from whom Hoard learned how to make cheese and butter.
While working as a farmhand, Hoard witnessed the
depletion of New York soil by the growing of wheat and other crops that led to the adoption of dairy farming in the state.
In 1857, Hoard moved to
Oak Grove, Wisconsin, where he studied to become a Methodist minister until conflict with church leadership led him to abandon that path. For the next three years, Hoard found employment chopping wood and giving singing lessons.
In 1860, he married Agnes Elizabeth Bragg and moved in with her parents in
Lake Mills, Wisconsin
Lake Mills is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6,211 at the 2020 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Lake Mills.
History
Lake Mills occupies the east shore of Rock Lake. The area was ...
.
After the outbreak of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, Hoard—an admirer of
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
—enlisted in the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
. He was assigned to the
4th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment
The 4th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, primarily in the Western Theater. It was later mounted and became the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment.
History
The 4th Wis ...
as a
fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
player and participated in the
Capture of New Orleans
The capture of New Orleans (April 25 – May 1, 1862) during the American Civil War was a turning point in the war, which precipitated the capture of the Mississippi River. Having fought past Forts Jackson and St. Philip, the Union was u ...
.
Hoard became ill while pursuing
Confederate soldiers
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
and was
discharged
Discharge may refer to
Expel or let go
* Discharge, the act of firing a gun
* Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer
* Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...
. Hoard returned to his parents' farm in New York; after fully recovering, he re-enlisted in the Union Army and was assigned to Battery A of the
1st New York Light Artillery Battalion
The 1st New York Light Artillery Battalion was a New York State volunteer artillery unit that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was initially composed of four artillery companies, which were mustered-in for service ...
, serving until the end of the war in 1865.
Career
Publishing and advocacy
''Jefferson County Union'' and ''Hoard Dairyman''
After the war, Hoard moved to
Columbus, Wisconsin
Columbus is a city in Columbia (mostly) and Dodge Counties in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,540 at the 2020 census. All of this population resided in the Columbia County portion of the city. Columbu ...
, and attempted to grow hops. The price of the crop collapsed and Hoard gave up hop farming.
In 1870, William D. Hoard founded a weekly newspaper named the ''Jefferson County Union'' in Lake Mills. Against trends of the time, Hoard expanded his paper's coverage to include surrounding areas. According to biographer George William Rankin, Hoard's use of local correspondents to expand his newspaper's reach was among the first by a county newspaper in the United States.
Early editions of the ''Jefferson County Union'' were printed under contract with ''Watertown Republican'', for which Hoard had written prior to founding his own newspaper. Hoard moved the ''Jefferson County Union'' to
Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
Fort Atkinson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. It is on the Rock River (Illinois), Rock River, a few miles upstream from Lake Koshkonong. The population was 12,579 at the 2020 census. Fort Atkins ...
, in 1873 and by 1883, he had constructed a new building that included a printing press.
Hoard also worked as editor of the ''Jefferson County Union''; he included an editorial page in the paper, another rarity for small newspapers of the time. He used editorial columns to write about a variety of topics, most prominently the promotion of scientific agricultural practices. Readers received these editorials with skepticism due to Hoard's lack of experience in Wisconsin agriculture, and referred to him as a theorist and a "book farmer". Hoard continued to write agriculture columns and after encouragement from his son Arthur and Ed E. Coe, publisher of the ''Whitewater Register'', founded ''
Hoard's Dairyman
''Hoards Dairyman'' is an American agricultural trade publication that focuses on dairy farming. It was founded in 1885 by William D. Hoard as a supplement to the ''Jefferson County Union'' and is published in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.
History
...
'' in 1885 as a
folio
The term "folio" (), has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for a book ma ...
supplement to the ''Jefferson County Union''.
![Hoard's Dairyman Daily Jefferson Union - panoramio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Hoard%27s_Dairyman_Daily_Jefferson_Union_-_panoramio.jpg)
''Hoard's Dairyman'' was initially financially supported by its parent newspaper but by 1889, it had become a separate publication that focused primarily on dairy farming. As was commonplace with dairy trade publications at the time, Hoard mixed reporting and advertising in ''Hoard's Dairyman'', juxtaposing advertising with articles promoting the advertised technique or technology.
In ''Hoard's Dairyman'', Hoard advocated for agricultural practices that became commonplace in Wisconsin and beyond, including regular testing of herds for
bovine tuberculosis
Bovines ( subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship betw ...
, the growth and use of
alfalfa
Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...
as cattle feed, the use of particular breeds of cattle for milking or meat, the use of the
Babcock test
The Babcock test is an inexpensive and practical procedure to determine the fat content of milk. It is named after its developer, Stephen M. Babcock (1843–1931), professor at the University of Wisconsin.Stephen M, Babcock (1890): "A New Method ...
to test the butterfat content of milk, and the adoption of silos to store cattle feed.
By 1924, ''Hoard's Dairyman'' had readers in Japan, Australia, and England. It is considered the first agriculture publication to have a nationwide readership in the United States.
Trade associations and lobbying
William D. Hoard founded the Jefferson County Dairymen's Association in 1871. Realizing the county-level group was too small to effectively advocate for dairying on a large scale, the following year, Hoard founded the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association with
Chester Hazen,
Walter S. Greene, Stephen and A.D. Favill, H.C. Drake, and H.F. Dousman to improve and promote Wisconsin's dairy products. The following year, Hoard traveled to
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
to barter with rail lines to secure better prices and
refrigerated railcars for the transport of cheese from Wisconsin to the U.S. East Coast. Hoard's efforts were a success;
Star Union Line took a refrigerated car to
Watertown Watertown may refer to:
Places in China
In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways.
Places in the United States
*Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town
**Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...
to transport cheese out of the state.
Through the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association, Hoard and other founders successfully lobbied for the passage of agriculture-related laws and regulations, including legislation to ban filled cheese, and the establishment of farmers institutes and the
College of Agriculture at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
. At the University, the group campaigned for the establishment of the first dairy school in the U.S., which taught the making of butter and cheese.
The group also campaigned for the showing of Wisconsin dairy products in Philadelphia and Chicago, increasing the reputation of Wisconsin dairy products. Hoard also helped found the
Northwest Dairymen's Association and the
Farmers National Congress
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mi ...
.
Hoard opposed the sale of adulterated dairy products, and advocated against the sale of
oleomargarine
Margarine (, also , ) is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was orig ...
, which became popular in the late 1800s. Oleomargarine, which is made by emulsifying lard with milk and water, was often dyed yellow to give it the appearance of butter and was sold as such.
[ The cost of producing oleomargarine was much lower than that of producing butter, and dairy farmers viewed it as a threat to their livelihoods. In 1894, Hoard founded the National Dairy Union and campaigned for an additional tax to be placed on the sale of dyed oleomargarine, which he viewed as a fraudulent product.][ Hoard often testified before Congress about the fraudulent nature of oleomargarine between 1898 and 1902, and helped secure the passage of the Oleomargarine Act of 1902, which added an additional 10-cent tax on the sale of colored oleomargarine and briefly caused a decline in its production.
]
Political career
Early career
Hoard was educated in politics as a child; in 1870, he was appointed as a deputy U.S. Marshal
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...
, and was assigned to be a census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
taker in Lake Mills and the surrounding area. While taking the census, Hoard met a family of German immigrants who could not speak English and had been tricked out of a large sum of money by English-speaking confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have def ...
sters. The experience influenced Hoard's opinions on education when he became governor. In 1872, Hoard was named the sergeant-at-arms
A serjeant-at-arms, or sergeant-at-arms, is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin ''serviens'', which means "servant". Historically, s ...
for the Wisconsin Senate
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...
.
16th Governor of Wisconsin
By 1888, William D. Hoard had become a popular speaker, lecturing on agricultural topics throughout the state. He was nominated as the Republican candidate for governor in an anonymous article in ''Milwaukee Sentinel
The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently ...
'' that year and received strong support from farmers throughout the state. He was elected as the 16th Governor of Wisconsin in the 1888 Wisconsin gubernatorial election, defeating Democratic candidate James Morgan. Hoard served a single, two-year term as governor. His administration saw the creation of the first food inspection
Food safety (or food hygiene) is used as a scientific method/discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent food-borne illness. The occurrence of two or more cases of a similar illness resulting from t ...
agency in the United States and the passage of a controversial compulsory education law that mandated schools to educate their pupils in English.
As Governor, Hoard established the Dairy and Food Commission to oversee dairy production in the state and to enforce bans on skimmed cheese, a type of cheese that quickly spoils due to its reduced butterfat content, and other adulterated dairy products. The Commission was the first government agency in the U.S. to regulate food quality.
Bennett Law
The first legislation Hoard signed was the Bennett Law
The Bennett Law, officially chapter 519 of the 1889 acts of the Wisconsin Legislature, was a controversial state law passed by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1889 dealing with compulsory education. The controversial section of the law was a requi ...
, which was passed in April 1889 and mandated children in the state aged 7-to-14 to attend school in their district of residence for at least 12 weeks per year, and to receive instruction in English. The latter provision was added by Hoard, who advocated for the Americanization
Americanization or Americanisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is the influence of American culture and business on other countries outside the America, United ...
of immigrants in the state and viewed English literacy as an important step in the process.
By 1890, approximately 70% of the Wisconsin population was immigrants or had at least one immigrant parent; many of that group had German ancestry.[ German Lutherans and German Catholics in Wisconsin, who retained strong ethnic pride for Germany,] felt the law targeted their parochial school
A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The ...
s, many of which primarily taught their courses in German. Hoard felt churches focused more on growing their congregations in these schools than on fostering American citizenship.
In March 1890, the three Catholic bishops of Wisconsin published a manifesto opposing the law and three months later, the Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, and Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
synods denounced it. German-language publications throughout the state advocated for the law's repeal, and called for Catholics and Lutherans to campaign for the law's repeal after the election of 1890. The Bennett Law became the primary issue of the contest, though economic pressures attributed to the McKinley Tariff
The Tariff Act of 1890, commonly called the McKinley Tariff, was an act of the United States Congress, framed by then Representative William McKinley, that became law on October 1, 1890. The tariff raised the average duty on imports to almost fift ...
also played a significant role. Hoard defended the law but Republican-supporting German voters turned against the party in 1890.[ Democrats won a ]supermajority
A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority ru ...
in the Wisconsin Legislature
The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republican ...
—eight of nine available seats in the U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
—and Hoard was defeated by George Wilbur Peck
George Wilbur Peck (September 28, 1840 – April 16, 1916) was an American writer and politician from Wisconsin. He served as the 17th Governor of Wisconsin and the 9th Mayor of Milwaukee.
Biography
Peck was born in 1840 in Henderson, N ...
for the governorship. The Bennett Law was repealed in February 1891, the first act of the new legislature. Historian Louise Phelps Kellogg
Louise Phelps Kellogg (May 12, 1862July 11, 1942) was an American historian, writer, and educator.
Early life and education
Eva Louise Phelps Kellogg was born on May 12, 1862 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She later stopped going by "Eva".
The Women's ...
noted the law's purpose of increasing English literacy in immigrant communities was still achieved; parochial schools sought to prove the legislation was not needed by introducing more English-language instruction in their classrooms.
Legacy
William D. Hoard is often credited with changing the agricultural economy of Wisconsin from the growth of wheat to the raising of dairy cattle and production of dairy products. ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' called Hoard "the father of modern dairying". His advocacy for agricultural practices such as single-use herds for dairying, and the use of silage
Silage () is a type of fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation to the point of acidification. It can be fed to cattle, sheep and other such ruminants (cud-chewing animals). The fermentation and storage p ...
and alfalfa as cattle feed led to those practices becoming commonplace throughout the United States. He was named Wisconsin's "Most Distinguished Citizen" in 1915.
In 1907, Hoard was added to the University of Wisconsin's Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual col ...
and helped transport a dairy herd to the campus in Madison and to arrange the construction of the Livestock Pavilion. Hoard was honored with a statue by Gutzon Borglum
John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including Stone Mountain in Georg ...
, which was placed on Henry Mall in front of the College of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin campus in 1922.
The ''Hoard's Dairyman'' Farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
and is considered the most-famous dairy farm in the world.
Personal life
William D. Hoard married Agnes Elizabeth Bragg in 1860. The couple had three children; Halbert Louis, Arthur Ralph, and Frank Ward. Hoard died on November 22, 1918, and was buried in Fort Atkinson.
Notes
See also
*Hoard Historical Museum
The National Dairy Shrine is an American dairying group founded in 1949 and based in Wisconsin. The shrine promotes the dairy industry and records its history. As of 2007, the organization had over 18,000 members from most facets of dairying. It ...
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoard, William D.
Republican Party governors of Wisconsin
People from Stockbridge, New York
People from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
People of New York (state) in the American Civil War
People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War
Union Army soldiers
American magazine editors
American agriculturalists
1836 births
1918 deaths
19th-century American politicians
Burials in Wisconsin
Dairy farmers