Widely considered the father of the Wisconsin dairy industry, William Dempster Hoard (1836-1918) played a prominent role in the development of the School of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin and began the first national dairy magazine in the country, Hoard’s Dairyman. Hoard’s advocacy of high standards for the dairy industry and promotion of scientific dairying and farmer education were vital to the growth and development of the dairy industry in Wisconsin.

Hoard was born in Stockbridge, New York, on October 10, 1836, the son of a Methodist minister and farmer. As a young man, Hoard became known for his musical talent and taught singing during the winters when he was not laboring on the farm. Hoard moved to Oak Grove, Wisconsin, in 1857, joining the 4th Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War.

Hoard believed Wisconsin was particularly well suited to the industry, and crusaded to get farmers who were losing money due to poor soil and crop yields to switch to dairying. His recognized leadership in agriculture led to his election as governor in 1888. After leaving office four years later, Hoard continued to promote dairy farmers and the social benefits of dairy science, including the eradication of tuberculosis to free herds from heavy health losses and to protect humans from milk-borne illnesses. (via the Wisconsin Historical Society)

The sculpture of Gov. Hoard, installed in 1922, is located south of Agricultural Hall at the intersection of Henry Mall and Linden Drive. The bronze bust was created by Gutzon Borglum, who is best known for carving Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. A plaster mold for the bust remains on view at the Hoard Museum in Fort Atkinson.

As president of the UW Board of Regents, spoke at the memorial service for prominent benefactor William Vilas in October 1908.

One month later, Hoard described the university’s rapid growth and broad outreach in a report to Gov. James Davidson;

“The students have greatly increased in number. The work has been improved in its efficiency. New lines of work for which there have been strong demands have been inaugurated. Of these some of the more important are the course for the training of teachers, the establishment of the college of medicine, the introduction of the two year practical course in agriculture, and the establishment upon a very broad basis of university extension. Through the many lines of extension work in the university, including that in liberal arts in engineering and in agriculture, many thousands of the people of the state who have not been able to attend the university have been reached.