Artist: Robert Wadsworth Grafton (1876–1936)
George Howard Davison
DAVISON, GEORGE HOWARD (1867–1936), inducted by 1920
Making use of the Doctor of Veterinary Science degree he earned from the American Veterinary College in 1890, G. Howard Davison became the pioneer Shropshire sheep breeder in America, transforming the breed from a big framed, slower maturing, open fleeced animal to a compact, thickly meated, early finishing type animal. The work he accomplished—importing British stock to Altamont, his Millbrook, New York, farm—resulted in his election to the Royal Agricultural Society. To further promote and establish the breed, he offered sheep to agricultural colleges and experiment stations across the country, even if they could not afford to purchase them. Dr. Davison held leadership positions with many organizations, including the New York State Fair, the American National Livestock Association, the National Horse Show Association, and the American Dairy Shorthorn Association. He was a director and sheep superintendent of the International, serving as its president, 1916–1918. He was also president of several publishing firms, including the press that published Agricultural Digest, and was chair of the National Agricultural Society in 1919. Dr. Davison died in England in 1936.
Source: Saddle & Sirloin Guidebook 2026, p. 78