William D. Hoard | |
|---|---|
 Portrait c. 1890 | |
| 16th Governor of Wisconsin | |
| In office January 7, 1889 – January 5, 1891 | |
| Preceded by | Jeremiah McLain Rusk |
| Succeeded by | George Wilbur Peck |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Dempster Hoard October 10, 1836 Munnsville, New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 22, 1918 (aged 82) Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin |
| Monuments | William D. Hoard Monument at University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| Board member of |
|
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Agnes Elizabeth Bragg
(m. 1860) |
| Children | 3 |
| Occupation | Publisher, politician |
| Known for | Agriculture advocacy, Hoard's Dairyman |
| Signature |  |
William Dempster Hoard (October 10, 1836 – November 22, 1918) was an American politician, newspaper publisher, and agriculture advocate who served as the 16th governor of Wisconsin from 1889 to 1891.
Called the "father of modern dairying", Hoard's advocacy for scientific agriculture and the expansion of dairy farming has been credited with changing Wisconsin's agricultural economy. His promotion of the use of silos and alfalfa for cattle feed, testing for bovine tuberculosis, and single-use cattle herds in his magazine Hoard's Dairyman led to those practices becoming commonplace throughout the United States. His work with the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association led to the exporting of Wisconsin dairy products to the East Coast and those products earning national renown.
As editor of his newspaper the Jefferson County Union, Hoard was one of the first county news editors to expand his coverage through the use of local correspondents and to include a strongly voiced editorial page in a small newspaper, which he used to advocate for improved farming practices and dairy farming.
As governor of Wisconsin, Hoard established the Dairy and Food Commission—one of the first food inspection agencies in the United States—and passed a controversial, short-lived compulsory education law that required all students in the state be taught in English as part of the Americanization process for immigrants.