Title: William Dempster Hoard Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1880-1918

Creator:

• Hoard, W.D. (William Dempster), 1836-1918

Call Number: Wis Mss UP; Mss 232; PH 358; PH 366

Quantity: 30.4 c.f. (78 archives boxes) and 17 photographs (2 folders)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of William Dempster Hoard, a Wisconsin governor (1888-1890), scientific dairyman, publisher of the Jefferson County Union and Hoard's Dairyman, officer in the Wisconsin Grand Army of the Republic, and member of the Wisconsin Board of Managers of the St. Louis World's Fair (1903-1905), and of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents (1907-1911), including correspondence and letterpress books documenting his business, political, civic, agricultural, and personal concerns; a brief diary, 1888; financial records; writings and speeches; and family photographs. Materials include information on events of Hoard's governorship (including reaction to the controversial Bennett Law requiring attendance at schools teaching in English), extensive information on his publishing work, and information on development of the dairy industry.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-wis000up

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William Dempster Hoard was born on 10 October 1836 in Stockbridge, Madison County, New York, the son of William Bradford and Sarah Catherine (White) Hoard. Educated in common schools, he later qualified as a Methodist minister although he never took a pulpit. Coming to Wisconsin in 1857, he farmed near Oak Grove, Dodge County, until 1860 when he moved to Lake Mills. On 9 February 1860 Hoard married Agnes Elizabeth Bragg, a native of Vermont. They had three children; Halbert Louis, born 3 October 1861; Arthur Ralph, born 2 October 1863; and Frank Ward, born 26 July 1866.

In 1861 Hoard enlisted as a private in Company “E” of the 4th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry where he served as a musician. Discharged in July 1862 due to a medical disability, he recuperated in Munnsville, New York, where his family was staying. Re-enlisting in Company “A” of the 1st New York Artillery, Hoard served until the end of the war.

In 1865 Hoard and his family returned to Wisconsin where he ran a hop nursery business in Columbus. When his business failed in 1870, leaving him deeply in debt, Hoard moved to Lake Mills and began to publish the Jefferson County Union. Having learned current New York dairy practices as a youth, he disseminated this knowledge through a special section of his newspaper. In the 1870's, Wisconsin was not yet oriented toward the dairy industry.

During his first two years in Lake Mills, Hoard was appointed Deputy United States Marshal, became the census taker for several small towns near Lake Mills, and was elected Justice of the Peace. In 1872 he was elected sergeant-at-arms of the State Senate. Through Hoard's efforts, the Jefferson County Dairymen's Association was organized in 1871, followed in 1872 by the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association, of which he was secretary for the next three years. He was also instrumental in the organization of the Northwestern Dairymen's Association, becoming its president in 1878.

In 1873 Hoard moved to Fort Atkinson and continued to publish the Jefferson County Union and in 1884 his son Halbert joined him as co-editor. Because of the increasing demand for dairy information in his paper, he and his three sons began to publish a separate dairy magazine, Hoard's Dairyman, in March 1885. By 1918, Hoard's Dairyman was a world-renowned agricultural journal, and Hoard had held the position of honorary president of the Wisconsin Editorial Association.

Hoard was prominent in the establishment of University sponsored farmer's institutes which opened in 1886. These were short-term sessions teaching agricultural skills which were located in several areas of the state for the convenience of local farmers and youth. Hoard frequently lectured at these institutes. During this period he also helped establish the state's first dairy board, being a continuing advocate of close cooperation between the farmer and government agencies.

In 1888 Hoard, a Republican, defeated Democrat James Morgan in the gubernatorial race. His election reflected the growing importance of dairying in the state. During his term he created the office of dairy and food commissioner and signed a law to prohibit the imitation or adulteration of dairy products. The Bennett Law, one of the most important legislative acts passed during Hoard's term of office, required all youth in the state between the ages of seven and fourteen to attend a private or public school in the district of their residence for at least sixty days each year; no institution would be considered a school unless the lessons were taught in English. The law passed without comment in April, 1889, but shortly thereafter German Catholic and Lutheran clergy, representing parochial schools which rarely taught in English, began to battle the law. The Democratic Party adopted the cause of the immigrant in its 1890 platform. Hoard defended the Bennett Law in speeches and newspaper articles, and was supported by his party, which unanimously nominated him for reelection. However, Hoard was not reelected for several reasons, including the ferment over the Bennett Law, Republican anxiety over the controversial McKinley tariff, and the rising strength of the third party Populist movement.

After the election, he returned to journalism and dairying, managing ten large creameries, with his son Arthur. Active in many organizations, he became president of the National Dairy Union in 1894, department commander of the Wisconsin Grand Army of the Republic in 1895, and president of the National Farmers' Congress in 1897. In 1896 he was mentioned as a candidate for the cabinet post of Secretary of Agriculture in President McKinley's administration. Hoard, along with his associates, Charles Knight and Henry B. Gurler, organized the “Dairy Union” in 1898 to draft a bill for the regulation of oleomargarine; this bill, the Grout Bill, was passed in 1902. And from 1903 to 1905, Hoard was president of the Wisconsin Board of Managers of the St. Louis World's Fair Exposition.

In 1907 Hoard was appointed to the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin and served as its president from 1908 to 1911. In 1911 he resigned from the board due to failing health and a disagreement with the president of the University, Charles R. Van Hise, over allocations for the College of Agriculture and of Letters and Science, and over what Hoard considered the partisan choice of regents.

Some of W.D. Hoard's most valuable contributions were made in the area of dairying. A convincing writer and popular public speaker, he promoted the idea of scientific dairying. He advocated tuberculin tests for dairy cattle, and encouraged farmers to gather statistics on their cows. He was one of the first men in Wisconsin to recognize the value of alfalfa as a good, inexpensive feed, and he helped spread the use of the silo and of silage as feed. He advocated the breeding of a “special purpose dairy cow” with a “milking heredity” which was not to be used for beef or “the plow.” He fought for the regulation of the quality of dairy and agricultural products, seeking close cooperation with government agencies.

Through his connection with the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association, he established a market at Watertown where Wisconsin dairymen could meet with eastern buyers. He also helped to expand Wisconsin's dairy market by arranging for the low-cost shipment of products to New York via the first refrigerated railroad cars in the nation.

In November 1915 Hoard was voted the most distinguished citizen of the state by the state legislature. The former governor died on 22 November 1918.

The Hoard Papers exist in two parts: a group of 73 letterpress books donated in 1959, and additions received in 1965-1966 consisting originally of 82 letterboxes. Prominent correspondents include agriculturalists Henry C. Adams, Henry B. Gurler, William A. Henry, and Edward B. Voorhees; educators Richard T. Ely, James H. Stout, Reuben G. Thwaites, Charles R. Van Hise, and Booker T. Washington; and political figures James O. Davidson, Marcus Hanna, Elisha W. Keyes, Belle Case La Follette, Robert M. La Follette Sr., Joseph V. Quarles, John C. Spooner, Isaac Stephenson, and William Howard Taft. Also includes private and business correspondence of his son Halbert L. Hoard, 1891-1908.

Also now filed with the additions is a small amount of correspondence, clippings, and Hoard's writings donated in 1925; and some family photographs. The photographs in PH 358 include images of members of the Hoard family and an image of Arthur Hoard and others climbing Mount Rainier in 1926. Those in PH 366 include images of the Hoard children, Harriet, Anna Agnes, and Shirley, 1895-1901, and images of Agnes' grave after her death at age 15.

Halbert L. Hoard Papers (Wis Mss QK)

Acquisition Information

Presented by Frank W. Hoard, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, May 1925, and by William D. Hoard Jr., Fort Atkinson, April 1959, November 1965, and January 1966. Accession Number: M59-67, M65-393, M66-3

Processing Information

Processed by Kris Crary and Joanne Hohler, August 16, 1973.

Wis Mss UP	Series: Part I: Letterpress Books, 1880-1909 Physical Description: 30 archives boxes containing 73 volumes  Scope and Content Note Part I includes one brief diary and 72 letterpress books containing outgoing correspondence. The correspondence books have been grouped into the categories: Business, Civic Affairs, Private Letterbooks, and Miscellaneous. The Business Correspondence includes account books, Dairyman advertising books, general correspondence, and one volume of letters relating specifically to the Jefferson County Union. The Civic Affairs correspondence includes only that concerning Hoard's work for the St. Louis World's Fair. There are two sets of Private Letterbooks, one while Hoard was Governor and the other for the years following his term. Finally, there are three miscellaneous volumes. Within each category the volumes are in chronological order. Many of the letters are faded and nearly illegible. The diary contains infrequent entries concerning both business appointments and personal matters for the months of February through July 1889. Of the letterpress books pertaining to business, three are account books for advertising in both the Jefferson County Union and Hoard's Dairyman, covering the period from November 1889 to September 1895. The twenty-two Dairyman advertising books, January 1889 to April 1894, primarily contain letters seeking clients for advertising space in Hoard's Dairyman. There are also eleven volumes of general business correspondence, June 1880 to December 1899, pertaining mainly to Hoard's publishing career. And one volume, labelled the Jefferson County Union, consists of letters soliciting subscriptions and advertisers, and dates from January 1893 to March 1894. There are two volumes of Hoard's correspondence as president of the Wisconsin exhibit at the St. Louis World's Fair, 1903 to 1906. These volumes are listed under Civic Affairs in the contents list. Hoard's five Private Letterbooks as the Governor of Wisconsin from 1889 through 1890 consist of both Executive and personal correspondence. This correspondence includes letters relating to speaking engagements, political appointments and other political matters, as well as correspondence concerned with his dairying and journalistic interests and personal affairs. The twenty-five volumes of Hoard's Private Letterbooks from the period following his governorship, 1890-1909, are also concerned with his interests in dairying and journalism and included non-business correspondence, some with family and friends. There are three miscellaneous volumes, not identified by Hoard, which do not fit chronologically into the above categories. The first volume contains correspondence concerning Hoard's campaign for governor in 1888. The second is private and business correspondence of Hoard's eldest son, Halbert L. Hoard, from March 1891 to July 1908. The third incorporates business and personal correspondence written by Hoard from Trenton, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and Espanore Island, Michigan in January 1900, and January and July 1901.
Box   1 Volume   1	Subseries: Diary, 1889 February 12 - July 20
	Subseries: Business Letterbooks	⇧
	Account Books
Box   1 Volume   2	1889 November 19 - 1891 July 29
Box   1 Volume   3	1891 July 19 - 1893 October 20
Box   2 Volume   4	1893 October 20 - 1895 September 25
	Dairyman Advertising Books
Box   2 Volume   5	1889 January 5 - April 11
Box   3 Volume   6	1889 April 11 - 1890 January 24
Box   3 Volume   7	1890 January 27 - November 15
Box   4 Volume   8	1890 November 15 - 1891 January 27
Box   4 Volume   9	1891 January 27 - April 8
Box   5 Volume   10	1891 April 9 - June 30
Box   5 Volume   11	1891 June 30 - August 28
Box   6 Volume   12	1891 August 29 - October 31
Box   6 Volume   13	1891 October 31 - 1892 January 29
Box   7 Volume   14	1892 January 29 - April 26
Box   7 Volume   15	1892 April 26 - August 19
Box   8 Volume   16	1892 August 19 - November 14
Box   8 Volume   17	1892 November 14 - 1893 January 13
Box   9 Volume   18	1893 January 13 - March 16
Box   9 Volume   19	1893 March 16 - May 20
Box   10 Volume   20	1893 May 20 - July 17
Box   10 Volume   21	1893 July 17 - September 14
Box   11 Volume   22	1893 September 14 - November 10
Box   11 Volume   23	1893 November 10 - December 18
Box   12 Volume   24	1893 December 19 - 1894 January 27
Box   12 Volume   25	1894 January 27 - March 15
Box   13 Volume   26	1894 March 16 - April 3
	General Correspondence
Box   13 Volume   27	1880 June 24 - 1883 October 25
Box   13 Volume   28	1883 October 24 - 1884 September 8
Box   14 Volume   29	1884 September 8 - 1886 August 28
Box   14 Volume   30	1886 May 3 - 1887 January 3
Box   14 Volume   31	1887 January 3 - October 6
Box   15 Volume   32	1887 October 6 - 1888 April 10
Box   15 Volume   33	1888 April 10 - December 21
Box   16 Volume   34	1888 December 22 - 1891 January 12
Box   16 Volume   35	1891 January 13 - 1892 September 1
Box   17 Volume   36	1892 September 1 - 1894 January 29
Box   17 Volume   37	1894 January 29 - 1899 December 8
Box   18 Volume   38	Jefferson County Union, 1893 January 25-1894 March 16
	Subseries: Civic Affairs Letterbooks—St. Louis World's Fair	⇧
Box   18 Volume   39	1903 June 5 - 1904 March 24
Box   18 Volume   40	1904 March 25 - 1906 April 4
	Subseries: Private Letterbooks	⇧
Box   18 Volume   41	1889 January 8 - August 14
Box   19 Volume   42	1889 August 20 - 1890 February 4
Box   19 Volume   43	1890 January 29 - May 12
Box   19 Volume   44	1890 May 31 - September 13
Box   19 Volume   45	1890 September 13 - December 20
Box   20 Volume   46	1890 December 22 - 1891 June 29
Box   20 Volume   47	1891 June 29 - 1892 January 18
Box   20 Volume   48	1892 February 1 - November 24
Box   20 Volume   49	1892 November 24 - 1893 April 25
Box   21 Volume   50	1893 April 26 - 1895 January 5
Box   21 Volume   51	1895 January 7 - 1896 January 21
Box   22 Volume   52	1896 January 21 - July 1
Box   22 Volume   53	1896 December 8 - 1897 November 9
Box   23 Volume   54	1897 November 9 - 1898 March 25
Box   23 Volume   55	1898 November 19 - 1899 September 5
Box   23 Volume   56	1899 September 5 - 1900 June 4
Box   24 Volume   57	1900 June 7 - 1901 April 23
Box   24 Volume   58	1901 April 23 - 1902 February 20
Box   25 Volume   59	1902 February 20 - November 11
Box   25 Volume   60	1902 November 11 - 1903 August 4
Box   25 Volume   61	1903 August 4 - 1904 April 30
Box   26 Volume   62	1904 April 29 - 1905 February 18
Box   26 Volume   63	1905 February 18 - November 11
Box   27 Volume   64	1905 November 13 - 1906 April 24
Box   27 Volume   65	1906 April 24 - December 12
Box   28 Volume   66	1906 December 11 - 1907 May 4
Box   28 Volume   67	1907 May 4 - December 3
Box   28 Volume   68	1907 December 3 - 1908 April 27
Box   29 Volume   69	1908 April 25 - December 3
Box   29 Volume   70	1908 December 3 - 1909 April 4
	Subseries: Miscellaneous	⇧
Box   29 Volume   71	Campaign, 1888 April 25 - 1893 May 26
Box   30 Volume   72	Halbert L. Hoard, 1891 March 7 - 1908 July 20
Box   30 Volume   73	Letters written while out-of-state, 1900 January 16 - 1901 July 22
Mss 232	Series: Part II: Additions, 1887-1918 Physical Description: 48 boxes and 17 photographs  Scope and Content Note The bulk of the additions to the Hoard Papers consists of general correspondence, nearly all of it incoming letters, from August 1887 to December 1918, with most of it dating from March 1888 to March 1909. It is arranged first in chronological order, and alphabetically thereunder. There is also a small subject file divided into three categories. The first is a general subject file, arranged in alphabetical order. The second file, which is arranged chronologically, contains material pertaining to Hoard's involvement in the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904. The third file concerns Hoard's activities while he was connected with the University Board of Regents. It is subdivided by type of material and arranged chronologically. The General Correspondence File, which includes Hoard's business and personal correspondence, deals mainly with agricultural matters, concentrating on problems of the dairy industry. Other topics of discussion include Hoard's Dairyman, Hoard's activities in the Grand Army of the Republic, and political events. The nature of the correspondence during his term as Governor, 1889-1890, is generally political, including many requests for political appointments and discussion of the Bennett Law. Included in the correspondence for March 1890 is an interesting survey made of the Wisconsin circuit courts, compiling a record of the number of cases in which the defendants or witnesses were unable to speak English. One letterbox covering the period of Hoard's governorship which originally had been kept separate has been interfiled with general correspondence as the separated letters are of an identical nature to the general correspondence. The General Subject File consists of non-correspondence materials removed from Hoard's all-inclusive correspondence file. These materials comprise thirteen categories including advertisements, campaign literature, cards and addresses, clippings, financial records, Governor's business, Hoard's writings, pedigrees of cattle, programs of business and social affairs, and written materials not authored by Hoard. A Club File includes items such as meeting agenda, constitutions, and petitions of various organizations to which Hoard belonged, and the List File incorporates various lists of articles to order and people whom Hoard contacted during his campaign. Also in this section are family photographs presented by heirs of the Hoard family in 1954. The St. Louis World's Fair Correspondence File, 1903-1905, was kept separate by Hoard and his arrangement has been preserved. However, correspondence pertaining to the Fair is also included in the General Correspondence File. This File deals with the Wisconsin exhibit at the St. Louis World's Fair and embraces both general correspondence and that from Grant Thomas, the Secretary of the Wisconsin Board of Managers of the Fair. The University Board of Regents File relates to Hoard's membership on the Board from 1907 to 1911. It consists of correspondence, financial records, various lists of University bodies, the official proceedings of the Board meetings, and reports. There is also a small file of miscellaneous and unidentified materials.	⇧
	Subseries: Correspondence - General
Box   1 Folder   1-8	1887 August 2; 1888 March 26 - August 23
Box   2 Folder   1-9	1888 August 24 - November 9
Box   3 Folder   1-9	1888 November 10 - 1889 January 19
Box   4 Folder   1-9	1889 January 20 - June 30
Box   5 Folder   1-10	1889 July 1 - December 17
Box   6 Folder   1-8	1889 December 18 - 1890 April 30
Box   7 Folder   1-8	1890 May 1 - September 15
Box   8 Folder   1-7	1890 September 16 - December 31
Box   9 Folder   1-8	1891 January 1 - July 31
Box   10 Folder   1-8	1891 August 1 - 1892 February 19
Box   11 Folder   1-7	1892 March 1 - September 30
Box   12 Folder   1-7	1892 October 1 - 1893 March 31
Box   13 Folder   1-10	1893 April 1 - December 31
Box   14 Folder   1-9	1894 January 1 - 1895 March 31
Box   15 Folder   1-6	1895 April 1 - October 31
Box   16 Folder   1-7	1895 November 1 - 1896 February 29
Box   17 Folder   1-7	1896 March 1 - July 30
Box   18 Folder   1-6	1896 August 9 - 1897 January 17
Box   19 Folder   1-7	1897 January 18 - May 31
Box   20 Folder   1-5	1897 June 1 - October 31
Box   21 Folder   1-7	1897 November 1 - 1898 November 18
Box   22 Folder   1-7	1898 November 19 - 1899 April 30
Box   23 Folder   1-8	1899 May 1 - November 30
Box   24 Folder   1-7	1899 December 1 - 1900 April 30
Box   25 Folder   1-8	1900 May 1 - 1901 February 28
Box   26 Folder   1-7	1901 March 1 - 1901 August 31
Box   27 Folder   1-7	1901 September 1 - 1902 April 14
Box   28 Folder   1-9	1902 April 15 - November 29
Box   29 Folder   1-7	1902 December 1 - 1903 June 30
Box   30 Folder   1-7	1903 July 1 - December 31
Box   31 Folder   1-7	1904 January 1 - May 31
Box   32 Folder   1-6	1904 June 1 - November 30
Box   33 Folder   1-5	1904 December 1 - 1905 March 31
Box   34 Folder   1-8	1905 April 1 - November 30
Box   35 Folder   1-7	1905 December 1 - 1906 February 28
Box   36 Folder   1-6	1906 March 1 - June 30
Box   37 Folder   1-10	1906 July 1 - 1907 April 30
Box   38 Folder   1-8	1907 May 1 - August 31
Box   39 Folder   1-8	1907 September 1 - 1908 March 13
Box   40 Folder   1-7	1908 March 14 - July 31
Box   41 Folder   1-6	1908 August 1 - November 30
Box   42 Folder   1-7	1908 December 1 - 1909 February 29
Box   43 Folder   1	1909 March 1-10
Box   43 Folder   2	1909 March 11-30; December 1
Box   43 Folder   3	1909 circa January - March
Box   43 Folder   4	1911 March 31 - 1918 December 20
	Subseries: Subject File	⇧
	General
Box   44 Folder   1	Advertisements, 1885 - 1909; undated
Box   44 Folder   2	Campaign Materials, 1888-1904
Box   44 Folder   3	Cards and Addresses, 1888 November - 1909 March; undated
Box   44 Folder   4	Clippings, 1888 August - 1918 December; undated
Box   44 Folder   5	Clubs, 1889 August - 1908 December
	Family Photographs
PH 358	Hoard family members and a , 1926 image of Arthur Hoard and others climbing Mount Rainier
PH 366	Images of the Hoard children (Harriet, Anna Agnes, and Shirley) and of Agnes' grave, 1895-1901
Mss 232	Financial Records
Box   44 Folder   6	circa 1888 - 1904 September 30
Box   44 Folder   7	1904 October 4 - 1909 February 15; undated
	Governor's Business, circa 1888-1891
Box   44 Folder   8	Regarding the Bennett Law One item from this folder, a “Statement in Support of the Bennett Law” by Hoard, is available online.
Box   44 Folder   8	List of state officers, 1870-1889
Box   44 Folder   8	Regarding lumber mill dams
Box   44 Folder   8	Speeches and Proclamations
Box   44 Folder   8	Miscellaneous
	Hoard's Writings
Box   44 Folder   9	C-P, 1901, 1917; undated
Box   44 Folder   10	S-W; Editorials; “Musings”; Speeches, 1895-1906, 1917, undated
Box   45 Folder   1	Lists, 1888 March 1893 January One item from this folder, “Some of the Elements and Effects of Dairy Progress as Seen in Wisconsin” by Hoard, is available online.
Box   45 Folder   2	Pedigrees of cattle, 1890 October - 1908 March
Box   45 Folder   3	Programs of business and social affairs, 1889-1909
Box   45 Folder   4	Reports, Speeches, and Writings, 1889-1911
Box   45 Folder   5	Miscellaneous, 1883 - 1918
	St. Louis World's Fair
	General
Box   46 Folder   1	1903 June 8 - 1904 September 30
Box   46 Folder   2	1904 October 1 - 1905 May 31
	Grant Thomas, Secretary, Wisconsin Board of Managers
Box   46 Folder   3	1904 April 27 - September 29
Box   46 Folder   4	1904 October 5 - 1905 August 7
	University Board of Regents
Box   47 Folder   1-5	Correspondence, 1907 January 12 - 1912 April 2; undated
Box   47 Folder   6	Financial, 1906 October 29 - 1909 February 26
Box   47 Folder   7	Lists, 1908-1912; undated
	Proceedings
Box   47 Folder   8-9	1907 February 18 - 1909 December 31
Box   48 Folder   1-2	1910 January 19 - 1911 February 18; undated
Box   48 Folder   3-6	Reports, 1907 April 16 - 1910 December 3; undated
Box   48 Folder   7	Miscellaneous and unidentified, 1907 - circa 1911; undated