Henry W. Jeffers
Henry W. Jeffers | |
---|---|
Born | Henry Williams Jeffers January 4, 1871 New Jersey Republican State Committee; a founder and first mayor of Plainsboro Township, NJ |
Board member of | New Jersey Board of Agriculture, 1916-1927; advisory boards for the United States Department of Agriculture and the American Food Administration during World War I |
Spouse |
Anna C. Adams (m. 1898) |
Henry Williams Jeffers (January 4, 1871 – July 17, 1953) was an American
Biography
Jeffers was born in
Starting in his senior year at Cornell in 1898, Jeffers worked for the Walker-Gordon Dairy Farm, eventually becoming president in 1918. At Walker-Gordon, based in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey, Jeffers invented a number of technological innovations streamlining dairy production, including the Jeffers bacteriology counter, the Jeffers feed calculator, and the Rotolactor (a rotary milking parlor, a sort of "carousel" for cows, invented in 1930).[2][3][4]
Jeffers served on the New Jersey Board of Agriculture from 1916 to 1927. During World War I he served on advisory boards for the United States Department of Agriculture and the American Food Administration under Herbert Hoover.[1][3]
Jeffers was among the founders of Plainsboro Township, having petitioned the New Jersey Legislature to form a new municipality out of sections of Cranbury and South Brunswick townships.[5] After the township was officially founded on May 6, 1919, Jeffers was elected the first mayor.[6]
Jeffers was also active in Republican politics in New Jersey. He was selected as chairman of the
Jeffers died on July 17, 1953, at
References
- ^ a b Myers, William Starr. The Story of New Jersey (1945). Reprinted as Prominent Families of New Jersey (Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000).
- ^ The Rotolactor.
- ^ a b c "Henry Jeffers Sr., Dairy Expert, Dies". The New York Times, July 19, 1953. Accessed March 29, 2008.
- ^ Hart, p. 23-24. Extract.
- ^ Township Government Archived 2008-05-13 at the Wayback Machine, Plainsboro Township, New Jersey. Accessed April 28, 2008.
- ^ Hart, Bill. Plainsboro (Arcadia, 2003).
- ^ "Jersey Republicans Elect Jeffers Head". The New York Times, May 29, 1935. Accessed March 29, 2008.
- ^ "Jersey Democrats Rally to New Deal". The New York Times, September 29, 1937. Accessed March 29, 2008.