Information In Relation To Disease Prevailing Among Swine And Other Domestic Animals
(This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)
This book was originally published prior to 1923, and represents a reproduction of an important historical work, maintaining the same format as the original work. While some publishers have opted to apply OCR (optical character recognition) technology to the process, we believe this leads to sub-optimal results (frequent typographical errors, strange characters and confusing formatting) and does not adequately preserve the historical character of the original artifact. We believe this work is culturally important in its original archival form. While we strive to adequately clean and digitally enhance the original work, there are occasionally instances where imperfections such as blurred or missing pages, poor pictures or errant marks may have been introduced due to either the quality of the original work or the scanning process itself. Despite these occasional imperfections, we have brought it back into print as part of our ongoing global book preservation commitment, providing customers with access to the best possible historical reprints. We appreciate your understanding of these occasional imperfections, and sincerely hope you enjoy seeing the book in a format as close as possible to that intended by the original publisher.
William Gates Le Duc was an American agriculturist, soldier and railroad promoter. He served as U. S. commissioner of agriculture from 1877 to 1881.
Background
William Gates Le Duc was born in Wilkesville, Ohio, United States, the second son of Henry Savary and Mary (Stowell) Le Duc. His father's father was Henri Duc of Lyons, France, who came to America as a young officer in the army sent with Count D'Estaing to aid the colonies in the Revolution. About 1796, after stirring adventures in Guadeloupe, he came to Middletown, Connecticut, where he married Lucy, daughter of Col. John Sumner of the Colonial and Continental armies. Having acquired land near Gallipolis, Ohio, he moved thither with his family about 1812 and founded the settlement of Wilkesville. His son, in 1845, changed his name to Henry Savary Le Duc, believing that his father had left off the particle when he came to America because he thought the simple Duc more democratic.
Education
In order to attend school, William went to live in Lancaster, Ohio, where he was under the care of a great-uncle. He attended the Lancaster Academy and there had among his intimate companions William T. Sherman, John Sherman, and Thomas Ewing. In 1844 he entered Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, graduating in 1848.
Career
After graduation Le Duc was employed for about a year in introducing school books and law publications in the South and West. Meanwhile, he studied law and on December 5, 1849, was admitted to the bar. He later spent several months in Boston and edited a book by J. Stanley Grimes, entitled, Etherology and the Phreno-philosophy of Mesmerism and Magic Eloquence (1850).
In July 1850 he moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, then a small village, where he opened a law office and a book and stationery store. In connection with his book business he published the Minnesota Yearbook for 1851-1853. He was active in the development of the region of which St. Paul was the center and in 1853 was appointed commissioner of Minnesota Territory at the exposition in New York, called the World's Fair.
The display of products which he collected was largely influential in turning attention to Minnesota and the great opportunities it afforded settlers. In 1853 he secured the first charter for a railway in the territory and organized a company to build a railroad from St. Paul to Duluth. Mainly through his efforts that same year, the St. Paul Bridge Company was organized, which constructed the Wabasha Street Bridge, the first to be built over the Mississippi. Having acquired some land on the west side of the river, he laid out the town of West St. Paul.
In 1856 he purchased a flour mill at Hastings, and was the first miller to manufacture and introduce upon the markets flour made from Minnesota spring wheat. Disposing of his St. Paul holdings in 1857, he moved to Hastings, which, except for the terms of his federal service and brief periods of travel, was his home during the remainder of his life.
In 1862 he entered the Union army as a captain in the quartermaster's department and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, serving under McClellan, Hooker, Sherman, and Thomas. At the close of the war he was brevetted colonel and brigadier-general of volunteers.
Returning to Hastings, he engaged in business and farming. He also projected and in part constructed the Hastings and Dakota Railroad, of which he was president until 1870. In July 1877 President Hayes appointed him United States commissioner of agriculture, which office he filled until June 30, 1881, performing its duties with conspicuous energy and ability. He established a tea farm at Summerville, South Carolina, to investigate the practicability of raising tea in the United States; he gave special attention to the production of sugar from sorghum and beets; and he secured a special appropriation for the investigation of animal diseases, which led to the establishment of the Bureau of Animal Industry. From 1890 to 1895 he was in Fayetteville, North Carolina, having been appointed by Secretary of the Treasury Windom as receiver of the national bank at that place.
His personal papers and historical relics were presented to the Minnesota Historical Society, of which he was an active member for more than sixty-seven years. A paper by him on the organization and growth of the Historical Society is contained in its Collections (vol. IX, 1901). He died at Hastings in his ninety-fifty year.
Achievements
Le Duc supported the immigration to Minnesota, prepared and obtained the first charter for a railroad in the territory, founded the St. Paul Bridge Company to build the first bridge over Mississippi river, and was the first to produce and ship Minnesota spring wheat-flour.
