College of Agriculture, Food Systems & Natural Resources >> John B. Shepperd

10.2.1 John B. Shepperd (Dean, 1905-1915)

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John B. Shepperd was born on a farm in Lucas County, Iowa on January 12, 1869.  He was a graduate of Iowa Agricultural College and received a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Science from Iowa State College in 1891.  He did his graduate work in dairy at the University of Wisconsin and received a Masters of Science in Agriculture in 1893.  He was assistant editor of the Orange Judd Farmer, a weekly journal published in Chicago, for one year. He married Adele Frances Taylor on July 3, 1895.

Shepperd was appointed Professor of Agriculture at North Dakota Agricultural College [NDAC] and Agriculturalist of the North Dakota Experiment Station in 1893. In addition to conducting research at the Experiment Station, he taught mathematics.  In 1905 he was made Dean of the School of Agriculture and Vice Director of the Experiment Station. From 1906-1915 he was Dean of the School of Agriculture and Professor of Agriculture. In 1914 he was also Chairman of the Livestock Department. From 1915 to 1929 Shepperd was head of the Department of Animal Husbandry.  In 1929 Shepperd was made Acting President of NDAC, and the position was made permanent in March of 1930.  This was a tumultuous time on campus.  The crash of 1929 resulted in reduced staff, salaries, and operating budgets.  Because of differences between Shepperd and the Board of Administration, Shepperd resigned in 1937, and was made president emeritus in July of that year.  He received an honorary doctorate from Iowa State College in 1928.

Shepperd was president of the Fargo Kiwanis Club for several years.  He also had many interests regarding livestock.  In 1910 he participated in the New Salem Breeding Circuit.  In 1927 and 1929 he was Grand Champion of the International Livestock Exposition.  From 1906 to 1938 he was the supervisor of the Collegiate Livestock Judging Contest at the International Livestock Exposition.  His portrait was hung in the Chicago Saddle and Sirloin Club in 1921. He died on January 22, 1939.

The records of John B. Shepperd consist of three series: Professor and Agriculturalist, Dean, and General Materials. The Professor and Agriculturalist series deals primarily with finances for Experiment Station and Agricultural Department from 1896-1900 (gaps). The vast majority of the records in the Dean and Professor of Agriculture series consist of departmental and agricultural experiment station inventories from approximately 1909-1911. There is a correspondence file dealing with the proposed establishment of a federal experiment station at Mandan (1912-1913) and a te aching schedule for the Department of Agriculture for Fall 1913 from the Registrar. The General Materials , includes invitations and notices of meetings spanning his time as a professor, dean, chairman, and president (1909-1930) as well as a Christmas Greeting from Mr. & Mrs. Shepperd (n.d.).

See Also: RG 3, Office of the President: RG 3.8

John B. Shepperd – biographical material

Estimates of Expenditures for 1896 – Experiment Station
Department of Agriculture – Original estimate of expenditures for 1897
Allowance to agricultural Department, 1897 for labor after discounting Agriculture – Expenses – 1897
Estimates of Agricultural Department for 1898
Estimates of Agricultural Department for 1899
Invoice of Agricultural Department – January 1, 1900

Dean's Office: Items of Expenditures - 1901-1910; Shepperd - inventory – 1911; Agricultural Department Inventory – 1911; Employees of Agricultural Department – 1912; Announcement- meeting of Association of American Agricultural College and Experiment Stations 1912; Salaries - Experimentation Personnel – 1913; Written reviews, problems, and final examination – 1914

Agricultural Department/Division: Agricultural Department Inventory - Frances Hall Building – 1907; Agricultural Department Inventory - Invoice - January 1, 1909 & duplicate copy; Sales Report - Agricultural Department – 1909; Agricultural Department Inventory - Summary - 1911 - Building/Office Costs & Values; Department of Agriculture - Invoice - January 1, 1913 - Buildings (erected & costs), livestock (costs), machinery (costs); Agricultural Department Inventory - Summary - July 1, 1913 - Building/Office Costs & Values

Experiment Stations/Demonstration Farms: Agricultural Department Inventory - Frances Hall – Division of Demonstration Farms – 1910; Agricultural Department Inventory - Frances Hall – Demonstration Farms – 1911; Agricultural Department Inventory - Frances Hall - Division of Demonstration Farms - 1911

Experiment Stations/Demonstration Farms: Dickinson Sub-Experiment Station - inventory – 1907; Dickinson Sub-Station - invoice and inventory - 1910

Experiment Stations/Demonstration Farms: Edgeley Sub-Station Inventory – 1910; Edgeley Sub-Station Inventory - 1910 Duplicate; Department Inventory - Edgeley Experiment Station - 1911

Experiment Stations/Demonstration Farms: Department Inventory - Hettinger Experiment Station - 1911

Experiment Stations/Demonstration Farms: Invoice - Langdon Sub-Station - taken 1909; Invoice: Langdon Sub-Station – 1910; Department Inventory - Langdon Sub-Station - 1910; Langdon Sub-Experiment Station - Invoice for the year 1910; Department Inventory - Langdon Sub-Station - July 1, 1911

Experiment Stations/Demonstration Farms: Department Inventory - Williston Exp. Station – Tools and Implements, Machinery, Livestock (feed and seed), furniture and fixtures - December 31, 1909; Department Inventory - Williston Experiment Station - December 31, 1910; Department Inventory - Williston Sub-Experiment Station - December 31, 1910; Department Inventory - Williston Experiment Station - July 1, 1911

Agricultural Engineering: Agricultural Department Inventory - Division of Engineering – 1911; Agricultural Engineering Facts (course of instruction in U.S. college) - n.d.; Outline of the Work in Agricultural Engineering or Agricultural Surveying - NDAC - n.d.; A comparison of subjects by courses - Civil Engineering and Agricultural Engineering - n.d.; Proposed name and course changes - Agricultural Engineering Group - c.1912-1914

Agronomy Department/Division: Agronomy Department Inventory – 1907; Inventory of division of Agronomy (Soils) – 1909; Inventory of division of Agronomy (Soils) – 1909; Agricultural Department Inventory - Division of Agronomy – 1910; Inventory of division of Agronomy (Soils) -1910

Animal Husbandry Department/Division: Animal Husbandry Department Inventory - Barns - January 1907; Animal Husbandry Inventory – 1908; Animal Husbandry Inventory – 1909; Animal Husbandry Inventory - 1909 Duplicate; Animal Husbandry Division - Expenditures - 1909-1910; Animal Husbandry Division - Inventory – 1910; Animal Husbandry Division - Inventory -1911; Animal Husbandry Division - Inventory – 1913; Animal Husbandry - College - Budget - n.d.; Animal Husbandry - Station - n.d.

Creamery/Dairy Department: Dairy Department Inventory - Dairy Building – 1907; Agricultural Department Inventory - Creamery – 1910; Agricultural Department Inventory - Dairy Division - Creamery - 1911

College Farm: Farm Department Inventory - 1907; College Farm - Distribution of Expenditure - 1909-1910; Farm Division - July 1, 1911; Items of Expenditure for Inv. of July, August, September, October, November, December, 1909; Farm House Inventory – 1910, 1911; Barn Inventories – 1909-1911; Wagon Yard inventories – 1909, 1911; Machine Shed inventories – 1909-1911

Farm Mechanics Department: Farm Mechanics Department - Invoices – 1908, 1909; Farm Mechanics inventory - 1910

Poultry Department: Poultry Department Inventory – 1909; Statement of Supplies Requisitioned for Poultry Department - July - December 1909; Poultry Department inventory - 1911

Seed House: Agricultural Department Inventory - Seed House – 1910

Correspondence – establishment of a Federal Experiment Station in Mandan , ND – September 1912 – January 1913

Dean Shepperd's Office - inventory – July 1, 1913

Teaching Schedule for Department of Agriculture for Fall 1913

Invitations and Notice of Meetings – 1909-1930
Christmas Greetings – n.d.