This PowerPoint presentation is the official document of 150th Anniversary of the AVMA. Featuring the AVMA Exhibit, which was built by GES - Commercial Design & Trade Show Exhibit Company, Chicago, IL.

1. The 150th Anniversary of the AVMA
1863 – 2013
PowerPoint Presentation
THE HISTORY OF THE AVMA
by Fred J. Born, DVM

2. The Early Veterinary Profession In North America
As in Britain, few considered veterinary medicine a fit pursuit for
educated persons, and by 1850 only a dozen or so graduate
veterinarians practiced in America.
Before the Civil war, the veterinary profession was small in
number, unorganized, diverse and poorly trained. They made up of a
group of men who were farriers, blacksmiths, foreign trained
veterinarians and physicians (both schooled and unschooled), with
little regulation and largely urban.

3. Yet by 1850, There Were No
Veterinary Schools In The United States
By 1850, fewer than two dozen veterinarians had immigrated
from Europe to America, there still were no veterinary schools in the
United States. During the last quarter of the nineteenth century,
however, the number of veterinarians in the U.S. increased. Some
were European immigrants, others came from schools in Canada (and
for the first time there were graduates from schools on this
continent).

4. The Early History of U.S.
Organized Veterinary Medical Associations
During the 1850’s things began to happen in American veterinary
circles. Only a handful of veterinarians was listed in the census of
1850, yet hundreds of “practitioners” decided they were veterinarians
and belonged in the field of veterinary medicine by the census of
1860. It was very unlikely that hundreds of veterinarians “graduated”
in some way or another during this 10-year period.
The first legally organized veterinary schools were formed, and
veterinarians first began to think seriously of organizing.

5. The Founding of The
United States Veterinary Medical Association
“Organized veterinary medicine had its shaky beginning in
Philadelphia in 1854, when Robert Jennings, a non-graduate
practitioner, helped found the American Veterinary Association. This
group was superseded in 1863, when Jennings and others founded the
United States Veterinary Medical Association (USVMA) in New York
City.”
In 1863, there were only about 400 veterinarians in seven
eastern states.

6. The United States Veterinary Medical
Association was formed at the
organizational meeting on June 9-10, 1863
at the Astor House in New York City

7. The Seal of The USAMA and The Original Minute Book
Containing The Records of All Meetings Held From June 9,
1863, to October 20, 1894
The minutes of the first meeting are in
the handwriting of Dr. Alexandre Liautard,
secretary. Four pages were removed from the
front of the book and the following notation
appears inscribed along the narrow margins
left when the four pages were removed:
“Margin of leaves on which Dr. Jennings
inserted minutes of meetings held in
Philadelphia previous to the formation of this
Assoc. and while acting as secretary.”

8. Here is The Flyleaf of The Minute Book
With The Original Copy of
The Constitution and By-laws of The USVMA
This historic document was signed by
the following: Josiah H. Stickney, Boston, MA;
George W. Bowler, Cincinnati, OH; Arthur S.
Copeman, Utica, NY; Isaiah Michener, Bucks
County PA; R. H. Curtis, Brooklyn, NY; John
Busteed, New York, NY; William A. Wisdom,
Wilmington, DE. (For some reason the
signature of R. H. Curtis had been crossed
out).

9. At this organizational meeting in June of 1863, a group
of 40 delegates representing seven states: New York, New
Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maine, Ohio and
Delaware.

10. The USVMA was founded for the purpose of promoting quality
veterinary services, humane treatment and self-improvement through
education. At the first meeting, which was held on September 6,
1864 in New York City, NY, the organization adopted its seal, featured
Chiron the centaur (the teacher of Aesculapius) – symbolic of the
antiquity of veterinary medicine; established its motto, “Non Nobis
Solum” [Not For Us Alone].” In its first 10 years, the USVMA got
off to a rough start, as it grew very slowly, gaining only one new
member in its first decade.

11. What is Believed To Be The Oldest
Existing Document Relating To The AVMA is a “List
Of Officers And Members Of The
United States Veterinary Medical Association.”
The exact date of this publication
is unknown, as the list bears no date.
However, the officers whose names are
shown on the left-hand page served for
the year 1887-1888, so it is reasonable
to presume that the list was published
sometime during 1888. There are 171
names on the list of regular members.

12. Dr. Josiah H. Stickney, of Boston
Became The First President of The USVMA
1863 -1864
The United States Veterinary Medical Association was
formed with 38 charter members from seven eastern states. The
first president was Dr. Josiah H. Stickney, at the age of 37, a
graduate of Harvard Medical School in Boston with a MD degree
in 1858 and qualified at the Royal Veterinary College in London
with a MRCVS degree in 1859.
Dr. Stickney was born in 1826 and died in 1901, at the age
of 75 yrs.

13. Dr. Alexandre Liautard
USVMA President (1875-1877, 1886-1887)
Born in Paris, in 1835, obtained
his veterinary degree from Toulouse
Veterinary College in 1856. He
received his MD from Univ. Medical
College, New York City in 1865.
Served as the Dean of the New York
University Veterinary college for
twenty-five years (1864-1889).
Considered by many veterinary
historians as the “A Father of the
American veterinary profession.”

14. Dr. Rush Shippen Huidekoper
USVMA President (1887-1889,1890-92)
1877: M.D. University of Pennsylvania
1881: Studied veterinary medicine at
Alfort
Technical Training in Laboratories of
Virchow, Koch, Chauveau, and Pasteur
1883: University of Pennsylvania
Professor of Internal Pathology
1883-89 Dean of Veterinary Faculty
Descendent of Benjamin Rush

15. Dr. Daniel Elmer Salmon
USVMA President (1897 – 1898)
Dr. Daniel Salmon, first Chief of the
Bureau of Animal Industry in 1884, and the
last USVMA president, 1897-1898.
The first D.V.M. degree from Cornell
University was awarded in 1876 to Dr.
Salmon, which was the loose equivalent of
a Ph.D. in today’s standards. This D.V.M.
degree, incidentally, the first such degree
ever to have been conferred in North
America and possibly in the entire world.

16. The USVMA Changes Its Name To The
American Veterinary Medical Association
After thirty-five years, the renaming of the USVMA as the
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) took place in
Omaha, Nebraska, in September 6, 7 & 8,1898.
The [reason the] USVMA changed its name when, in
extending its sovereignty beyond adjacent international
boundaries, thus its name was changed to the American
Veterinary Medical Association.

17. Dr. A. W. Clement Became
The First AVMA President in 1898
Dr. Albert W. Clement became the first
president of the newly named organization,
the American Veterinary Medical
Association, at the age of 41. Graduated
from McGill University in 1882.
He was born in 1857 and died in 1899,
the year after his presidentacy.

18. Dr. Roscoe Bell
AVMA President (1903 – 1904)
Dr. Roscoe Bell earned his D.V.S.
degree from the American Veterinary
College in 1887, was on the faculty of the
American Veterinary College and the New
York-American Veterinary College. He
served as president of the AVMA in 1903–
1904. Dr. Bell was the co-editor with Dr.
Liautard of the highly acclaimed medical
journal, American Veterinary Review.

19. Dr. James Law
AVMA President (1906 – 1907)
Dr. James Law, a distinguished
veterinarian and teacher, received his
training at Edinburgh Veterinary College in
Scotland, was hired in 1865 to establish a
veterinary school at Cornell University in
Ithaca, New York.
Dr. Law began teaching students in
1868, thus the first veterinary students at
a university in the United States.

20. Dr. John G. Rutherford
AVMA President (1908 -1909)
Dr. John Gunion Rutherford was born in
Scotland, graduated from the Ontario
Veterinary College, was Veterinary Director
General of Canada from 1902-12, and
Livestock Commissioner of Canada from
1906-12. He also served in the Manitoba
Legislature and the Canadian House of
Commons. Early in the century, Rutherford
was instrumental in establishing the policies
and procedures that would lead to the
eventual eradication of glanders.

21. Dr. Alonzo D. Melvin
AVMA President (1909 -1910)
Dr. Alonzo Melvin graduated from
the Chicago Veterinary College in
1886, was the second Chief of the
Bureau of Animal Industry from 1905
to 1917, and AVMA president 1909–
1910.

22. Dr. DDr. Elinor McGrath, was the
first woman to graduate from the
Chicago Veterinary College in
1910. Dr. McGrath was the first
woman to be admitted to
membership at the 53rd annual
meeting of the AVMA in 1916 in
Detroit. She practiced small
animal medicine in Chicago for
more than 35 years in a
neighborhood largely filled with
immigrants from all over Europe.
dDr. Elinor McGrath
(1878-1963)

23. Dr. Bobbye Alexander
Chancellor was the first woman
elected Vice-President of the
AVMA in 1978, for two terms
making her also the first to sit
on the AVMA Executive Board.
Dr. Chancellor transformed
the Vice-President's role into
the Board's Liaison to
veterinary students. No other
woman was elected to the
Executive Board until 1990.
Dr. Bobbye Chancellor
(1978-1980)

24. Dr. Mary Beth Leininger, was
the first woman AVMA president, in
1996. Dr. Leininger was a small
animal practitioner in Plymouth,
Michigan. Her main issue was
greater communication from
members to the leadership, and her
campaign was the first to use
electronic media, a Q&A on NOAH.
Earlier Dr. Leininger had served for
nine years on the AVMA Council of
Public Relations.
Dr. Mary Beth Leininger
(1996-1997)

25. Private Veterinary Colleges
(1875 – 1927)
With the pressing need for veterinarians created by an ever
increasing demand for horse power, private American veterinary
colleges grew rapidly.
During this time, many private veterinary colleges were offering
two year programs (four months per year), which culminated in
granting the degree of Veterinary Surgeon (VS). A large
percentage of draft and pleasure horses made up the largest part of
the veterinary practices in the U.S. at that time.

26. The Chicago Veterinary College
1883 - 1920
A general education was required and was proven by an admission
examination. Their curriculum initially consisted of a four month
session each year, over a two year period; they were referred to as
”two-year” men. Of all of the 26 private American veterinary
colleges, this college graduated the largest number of veterinarians
(2610) over the period of 37 years.

27. Kansas City (MO) Veterinary College was founded in 1891 as a
two year college, in 1896 it became a three-year veterinary college.
It was considered by many as the best private veterinary college of
that day. It became the second largest with a total of 1789
graduates.
The KCVC main building built in 1903
Kansas City Veterinary College
(1891-1918)

28. McKillip Veterinary College
(Chicago) was known as the largest
practice in the world, as part of the
class instruction, students would
work with their professors in a
clinical practice outside the
college. Classes started with a
course of three collegiate years of
six months each. This college
produced 1223 graduates from
1897 until it closed in 1920.
McKillip Veterinary College
(1892 -1920)

29. St. Louis Veterinary Dental College
In 1905, the St. Louis Veterinary Dental College was housed in
this building at 2301 Locust Street, for only six months. This building
dates back to 1891, was originally the Beethoven Conservatory of
Music.

30. In 1868, Cornell University became unique in being a publicly-
funded, but administrated at a private land-grant university. It
was the first university to hire a professor of veterinary medicine
and began teaching veterinary students that year. However,
there were only four veterinary graduates between 1876 and
1894.
The degree was B.V.Sc. for veterinarian and D.V.M. for the
loose equivalent of a Ph.D. for further graduate study.
The first state university veterinary colleges

31. The New York State Veterinary
College at Cornell University was
established in 1894. The nation’s
first veterinary degree (DVM)
was granted at Cornell in 1876 to
Daniel Salmon, best known as the
discoverer of Salmonella. The
College also granted the first
veterinary degree to an American
woman, Florence Kimball (1910).
James
Law Hall
Cornell University
(1894 – present)

32. In 1879, Iowa State College
became the first school of
veterinary medicine to establish
a distinct veterinary college with
land-grant money. Length of
course: 1879-1886, two years;
1887-1902, three years; 1903 to
the present, four years.
The first year (1880) there
were only 5 graduates.
Old Veterinary Hospital, 1885-
1912
Iowa State Veterinary College
(1879 - present)

33. Dr. Benjamin Rush, head of the
Medical School, recommended the
establishment of a veterinary
school in 1807.
In 1884, the Department of
Veterinary Medicine was
established at the University of
Pennsylvania with a three year
course. The School of Veterinary
Medicine was developed in 1910, Old Vet Quadrangle
then in 1916 the school offered a
four year curriculum at Penn in 1884.
University of Pennsylvania
School of Veterinary Medicine
(1884 – present)

34. Michigan State College was
founded in 1855 by the State of
Michigan with its own state grants.
Michigan State model provided a for the
precedent for the federal Morrill
Act of 1862. Michigan State College College
School of Veterinary Medicine was was
established in 1910. Length of
course: four years. The first year
(1913) with one graduate and then
the second year they had two graduates. Giltner Hall
Michigan State College
School of Veterinary Medicine
(1910 – present)

35. USVMA Twenty-Fifth Annual Meeting
September 18, 1888
Rossmore Hotel, New York City, New York
Dr. Rush S. Huidekoper elected president
Papers presented:
Origin of the Domestication of the Horse
Bovine Tuberculosis
Mad Itch in Cattle
Committee to draft resolution
Contagiousness of TB to man
Present to Medical Congress
Washington, D.C.

36. The AVMA 50th Anniversary Celebration
Hotel Astor, New York City, September 1-5, 1913

37. The AVMA Diamond Jubilee Meeting
July 5 -9, 1938 in New York City, New York
The AVMA held their 75th
annual convention in New York
City, NY. This meeting would
commemorate the 75th
anniversary of the founding of the
Association. It would return to
the city in which it was organized,
to celebrate its Diamond Jubilee.

38. AVMA Centennial Convention
Americana Hotel, New York City
1863 -1963
July 27-August 1, 1963
Record-Breaking Attendance
5,038 veterinarians and visitors
2,243 veterinarians
877 women
483 children
823 exhibitor representatives
168 veterinary students
444 guests

39. AVMA 150TH Anniversary Convention
July 20-23, 2013
Chicago, Illinois

40. United States Veterinary Medical Association
In 1863, the official symbol of the USVMA was the god Chiron as
represented by the figure of half man and half horse. It appeared on the
cover of the official Journal of the AVMA after the AVMA purchased the
American Veterinary Review in 1915.

41. The New AVMA Emblem Adopted in 1922
In 1919, both the San Joaquin Veterinary Medical Association in
Fresno, CA and the California State Veterinary Medical Association
adopted the Caduceus emblem.
Then, at the 59th AVMA Convention in St. Louis, MO in 1922, the
House of Delegates adopted the Caduceus emblem with the “V”
superimposed.

42. Caduceus Aesculapius
Starting in 1933, this small group of AVMA members proposed for
many years in changing this emblem. Even in 1934, when numerous
journals wrote of the concerns that the Caduceus became confused
with the symbol of Aesculapius, as having a medical connection.

43. American Veterinary Medical Association
Then this small group of AVMA members, lead by Dr. Joseph M.
Arburua, started in 1933 and joined later by Dr. J. Fred Smithcors, both
from California, tried to change the official logo of the AVMA. After
four attempts, they convinced the House of Delegates at the 107th
AVMA Convention in Las Vegas, NV in July of 1970, to adopt the
Aesculapian image. It was a 37 year struggle, to prove a point.

44. American Veterinary Medical Association
The official emblem of the AVMA
as we know it today, was adopted at the
107th AVMA Convention in Las Vegas, NV in July, 1970.

45. The official exhibit for the 150th Anniversary of the AVMA
was unveiled at the 150th AVMA Annual Convention,
on July 20-23, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois

46. THE AUTHOR
Dr. Fred J. Born, graduated from Michigan State
University in 1962. He is a life member of the
American Veterinary Medical Association and the
Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association (WVMA).
Until his retirement in 1998, Dr. Born was the senior
partner of a six veterinarian mixed animal practice
based in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
During his career, Dr. Born authored three visual- aid veterinary
textbooks and in 1971, received the “Veterinarian of The Year” Award from the WVMA,
which represents the highest award by the association based on peer selection. In
related professional activity, Dr. Born, for the past 36 years, has served as director of
the WVMA “Turn of The Century” Veterinary Museum at the Galloway House & Village
in Fond du Lac, WI.
In 2011, Dr. Born developed and designed only VET2011 accredited PowerPoint and
“VET2011 – World Veterinary Year” exhibit. The VET2011 exhibit is featured at the
MSU-SVM, in East Lansing, MI. The PowerPoint remains on the Internet to this day, by
Googling “VET2011,” then select “The Early History of the Horse Doctor.”
Dr. Born and Joyce - his wife of 55 years - have two married daughters and five
grandchildren.

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