Editing Henry Bergh

{{Short description|American activist (1813–1888)}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Henry Bergh
| image              = Henry Bergh by George E. Perine.jpg
| alt                = 
| caption            = Bergh by [[George Edward Perine]]
| birth_name         = Henry Bergh
| birth_date         = {{Birth date |1813|08|29}}
| birth_place        = [[New York City]], [[US]]
| death_date         = {{Death date and age |1888|03|12|1813|08|29}}
| death_place        = [[New York City]], [[US]]
| education          = [[Columbia College (New York)|Columbia College]]
| occupation         = Diplomat, activist for humane treatment of animals and children
| spouse             = Catherine Matilda Taylor
| children           = 
| mother             = Elizabeth Ivers
| father             = [[Christian Bergh]]
| known_for          = Founding the [[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals]], helping found the [[Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children]]
| signature          = Appletons' Bergh Henry signature.png
}}

'''Henry Bergh''' (August 29, 1813 – March 12, 1888) founded the [[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals]] (ASPCA) in April, 1866, three days after the first effective legislation against animal cruelty in the United States was passed into law by the [[New York State Legislature]]. 
One of the tasks he undertook was to pass a law that would prohibit the use of dogs for the monotonous and hot task of turning grills in restaurants.
Later, when Bergh went to visit restaurants to monitor law enforcement, he discovered that numerous restaurants had replaced dogs with black children.<ref>Ian Crofton. “History without the boring bits”. Ed Quercus, 2007. ISBN 9781780878027. Localization: 3375</ref>
Therefore, Bergh also prompted the formation, in 1874, of the [[New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children]] (NYSPCC).

== Life ==
Henry Bergh was born August 29, 1813, in [[New York City]], to [[Christian Bergh]] III and Elizabeth Bergh.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Shelman|first1=Eric A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQCUMG5E4_AC&pg=PA28|title=The Mary Ellen Wilson Child Abuse Case and the Beginning of Children's Rights in 19th Century America|last2=Lazoritz|first2=Stephen|date=2005-01-01|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-2039-1|pages=28|language=en}}</ref> His father, an ethnic [[German people|German]], was a successful shipbuilder who had completed a series of contracts for the government.<ref name=NatCyc>''National Cyclopedia of American Biography: Volume 3.'' New York: James White and Co., 1893; pg. 106.</ref> Henry Bergh joined his father in 1835 at the [[Christian Bergh|C. Bergh & Co.]], shipbuilding business. Upon his death in 1843, he left a large estate to the benefit of the three Bergh children, including Henry.<ref name=NatCyc />

Bergh attended [[Columbia University|Columbia College]] in New York City, but left before completing his degree, deciding instead to tour Europe, where he remained for five years.<ref name=NatCyc />

In 1862 Bergh entered government service when President [[Abraham Lincoln]] appointed him secretary of the U.S. legation in [[Russian Empire|Tsarist Russia]].<ref name=NatCyc /> He served time in [[St. Petersburg]] as acting vice-consul. He resigned his position in 1864 owing to Russia's severe winter weather.<ref name=NatCyc />

=== Advocacy ===

==== Animal welfare ====
[[File:Henry Bergh by Coleman 1924.png|thumb|upright|left|Bergh, unknown date]]
During his stay in Europe, Bergh witnessed various cruelties committed upon animals, which affected him greatly.<ref name=NatCyc /> In [[England]] Bergh met [[Dudley Ryder, 2nd Earl of Harrowby|Lord Harrowby]], president of the [[Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals]], who impressed upon Bergh the importance of his mission, leading Bergh to dedicate the rest of his life to the cause of ending animal cruelty.<ref name=NatCyc />

On April 10, 1866, an act of incorporation of the [[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals]] (ASPCA) was granted by the New York state legislature, with Bergh assuming the role of president of the new association, for which he received no financial compensation.<ref name=NatCyc /> Bergh and his wife provided initial funding for the [[non-governmental organization|private organization]], but after some time Bergh was requested to meet an old man in a hospital, Louis Bonard, a rich Frenchman who had earned a fortune trading animal furs. Bonard was full of praise for Bergh's work. He wanted to leave a fortune of $100,000 to the society. He said to Bergh, "I shall help you! Only if you promise that if ever you have the power, you will extend your protection to the wild things of forest and plain." Bergh promised and accepted the $100,000.<ref name=NatCyc /> Branches of the ASPCA were subsequently established throughout the United States and Canada.<ref name=NatCyc />

Under Bergh's leadership, the early ASPCA involved itself in a wide variety of issues, including slaughterhouse practices, animal transportation, care of horses, elimination of [[vivisection]], [[cock fighting]], and [[dog fighting]], and the abolition of use of live pigeons in shooting matches. Bergh and the ASPCA are particularly credited for the use of [[clay pigeons]] in trap shooting.<ref name=NatCyc />

During the 1872 outbreak of [[Equine influenza|horse flu]], Bergh stood wearing a top hat in the middle of New York City's streets and stopped horse-drawn trolleys and wagons being pulled by sick animals, sending them back to their stables. Although he was threatened with lawsuits by transit companies, his advocacy raised the profile of the cause.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Freeberg |first1=Henry |title=How a flu virus shut down the US economy in 1872 – by infecting horses |url=https://theconversation.com/how-a-flu-virus-shut-down-the-us-economy-in-1872-by-infecting-horses-150052 |access-date=12 December 2020 |work=The Conversation |date=3 December 2020}}</ref>

In 1873, Bergh conducted a national lecture tour taking him across the [[Western United States|American West]].<ref name=NatCyc /> He was also able to speak on the animal welfare cause before the [[Evangelical Alliance]] and the Episcopal convention, with the latter passing a resolution giving its clergy express permission to preach an annual sermon against cruelty to animals.<ref name=NatCyc />

==== Child welfare ====
[[File:Every Man Rides His Own Hobby, trade card, Kash, H. Bergh.jpg|upright|thumb|Trading card depicting Bergh by [[Cassius Marcellus Coolidge]], {{circa|1870–1900}}]]
In 1874, Bergh was approached by a [[Methodist]] missionary named [[Etta Agnell Wheeler]], who sought help rescuing a child named [[Mary Ellen Wilson]] from her cruel abuser, Mary Connolly. After Mary Ellen's story was heard, and she was subsequently rescued through Bergh's efforts, other complaints came in to Bergh. In response, Bergh himself, along with Elbridge T. Gerry and John D. Wright, formed the [[New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children]] ([[New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children|NYSPCC]]) in 1875. Over the coming years, other SPCC organizations were formed, such as the Massachusetts organization in 1888, the [[Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children]] ([[Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children|MSPCC]]).<ref>Two books on the case include ''Out of the Darkness: The Story of Mary Ellen Wilson'' c1999, Dolphin Moon Publishing, Authors Eric A. Shelman & Stephen Lazoritz, M.D., and ''The Mary Ellen Wilson Child Abuse Case and the Beginning of Children's Rights in 19th Century America.'', c2005, McFarland, Authors, Eric A. Shelman & Stephen Lazoritz, M.D.</ref>

==Death and legacy==
[[File:Henry Bergh mausoleum (33819).jpg|thumb|Bergh's mausoleum at [[Green-Wood Cemetery]] in [[Brooklyn, New York City]]]]
Bergh died on March 12, 1888, in New York City. Poet [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]] eulogized Bergh as "among the noblest in the land, Though he may count himself the least,That man I honour and revere, Who without favour,without fear,In the great city dares to stand The friend to every friendless beast."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Longfellow |first1=Henry Wadsworth |author-link=Henry Wadsworth Longfellow |url=http://www.bartleby.com/356/191.html |quote=Thus spake the Poet with a sigh;/ Then added, with impassioned cry,/ As one who feels the words he speaks,/The color flushing in his cheeks,/ The fervor burning in his eye:/ "Among the noblest in the land,/ Though he may count himself the least,/ That man I honor and revere/ Who without favor, without fear,/ In the great city dares to stand/ The friend of every friendless beast... |title=The Complete Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow |chapter=[[Tales of a Wayside Inn]], Part Second: Interlude |editor-last=Scudder |editor-first=Horace Elisha |editor-link=Horace Scudder |location=New York |publisher=Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin & Co. |year=1893 |access-date=2015-07-12 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Henry Bergh: 'The great meddler' |journal=UU World Magazine |date=2011-08-01 |last=Millspaugh |first=John Gibb |issue=Summer 2011 |url=http://www.uuworld.org/articles/bergh-great-meddler |access-date=2015-07-12 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.nyhistory.org/henry-bergh-angel-in-top-hat-or-the-great-meddler/ |title=Henry Bergh: Angel in Top Hat or the Great Meddler? |last=O'Reilly |first=Edward |work=From the Stacks |publisher=[[New-York Historical Society]] Museum and Library |date=2012-03-21 |access-date=2015-07-12 }}</ref> Henry Bergh is interred at [[Green-Wood Cemetery]] in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Death Of Henry Bergh. Helpless Animals Losing Their Protector. Career Of The Man Whose Monument Is The Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F02E6D8173AE033A25750C1A9659C94699FD7CF |quote=The death of Henry Bergh, who has been so long and universally known as the defender of abused animals, occurred yesterday morning at about 5 o'clock at his residence, 429 Fifth Avenue. For several months, in fact since the death of his wife in June last, Mr. Bergh has been gradually failing. He suffered from chronic bronchitis and enlargement of the heart, and although he was out last Tuesday for a ... |work=[[New York Times]] |date= March 13, 1888 |access-date=2010-03-30 }}</ref>

A 1982 children's book about Bergh, ''The Man Who Loved Animals'', was written by [[Syd Hoff]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Loved-Animals/dp/B016SDE4C2|access-date=2020-12-23|via=www.amazon.com|title=The Man Who Loved Animals|date=January 1982}}</ref>

In the spring of 2006 at [[Green-Wood Cemetery]], while making preparations to honor Bergh, the ASPCA discovered that his wife was also in that mausoleum. On May 6, substantive ceremonies were held before a large audience which was allowed to bring their pets into the cemetery – including dogs, for the first time in over a century. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mausoleums.com/portfolio/bergh-mausoleum/|title=Bergh Mausoleum {{!}} Classic Mausoleum Images and Information|website=Mausoleums.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-21}}</ref> The NYPD Emerald Society bagpipers and ASPCA HLE Agents were there also. After a walk to Bergh's tomb, the bas-relief statue was revealed that now rests in front. At the same time as these ceremonies, in the cemetery's large chapel building an exhibit was opened celebrating the history of the ASPCA and Henry Bergh. {{Citation needed | reason = scenarios described in detail, but no source |date=October 2018}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pisano |first=Nicholas |date=2006 |title=The Arch |url=https://www.green-wood.com/wp-content/uploads/apdf/gwhf_the_arch_fall2006.pdf |access-date=March 3, 2022 |website=The Greenwood Historic Fund}}</ref>

== Literary works ==

=== Tales and sketches ===
* "The Streets of New York"<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=March 24, 1888|title=Henry Bergh|volume=32|page=204|work=Harper's Weekly|issue=1631|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GnDPfOFxg2YC&pg=PA227|access-date=August 27, 2020|last1=Bonner|first1=John|last2=Curtis|first2=George William|last3=Alden|first3=Henry Mills|last4=Conant|first4=Samuel Stillman|last5=Schuyler|first5=Montgomery|last6=Foord|first6=John|last7=Davis|first7=Richard Harding|last8=Schurz|first8=Carl|last9=Nelson|first9=Henry Loomis|last10=Bangs|first10=John Kendrick|last11=Harvey|first11=George Brinton Mcclellan|last12=Hapgood|first12=Norman}}</ref>
* "The Portentous Telegram"<ref name=":0" />
* ''"The Ocean Paragon"''<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Buel|first=C. C.|author-link=Clarence Clough Buel|date=November 1878 – April 1879|title=Henry Bergh and His Work|page=878|work=Scribner's Monthly|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=88xZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA878|access-date=August 27, 2020|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

=== Plays ===

* ''A Decided Scamp''<ref name=":0" />
* ''An Extraordinary Envoy''<ref name=":0" />
* ''Peculiar People''<ref name=":0" />
* ''Love's Alternative''<ref name=":1" />

=== Poetry ===

*''Married Off'' (1859), a long poem<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bergh|first=Henry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AvGkOTb6elgC&pg=PA3|title=Married Off|date=1862|publisher=Carleton|location=New York|language=en}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[Henry Bergh (sculpture)|''Henry Bergh'' (sculpture)]], an 1891 statue by American artist James H. Mahoney

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==

*Sydney H. Coleman. (1924). [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015003653550&view=1up&seq=37 ''Henry Bergh: Founders of the Anticruelty Cause in America'']. In ''Humane Society Leaders in America''. The American Humane Association, 1924.
* Ernest Freeberg, ''A Traitor to his Species: Henry Bergh and the Birth of the Animal Rights Movement''. New York: Basic Books, 2020.
* Nancy Furstinger, ''Mercy: The Incredible Story of Henry Bergh, Founder of the ASPCA and Friend of Animals.'' New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016.
* Gary Kaskel, ''Monsters and Miracles: Henry Bergh's America.''  Infinity Publications, 2013.
* Mildred Mastin Pace, ''Friend of Animals: The Story of Henry Bergh.''  New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1942.
*  J. Riis, "The Child-Saving Movement," in P. Fass and M.A. Mason (eds.), ''Childhood in America.'' New York: New York University Press, 2000; pp.&nbsp;539–542.
* Eric A. Shelman & Stephen Lazoritz, ''The Mary Ellen Wilson Child Abuse Case and the Beginning of Children's Rights in 19th Century America.'' New York, McFarland & Company, 2005.
* Eric A. Shelman and Stephen Lazoritz, ''Out of the Darkness: The Story of Mary Ellen Wilson.'' Lake Forest, CA, Dolphin Moon Publishing, 1999.
* Zulma Steele,  ''Angel in Top Hat.'' New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1942.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060215081501/http://www.bridgeportmath.org/bergh/index.html BridgeportMath.org] – Henry Bergh and P.T. Barnum
* [http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_history ASPCA.org] – 'The life of Henry Bergh,' a biography at ASPCA.org
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060929044506/http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/UIA%20Online/90bergh.html Unitarianism in America] – Henry Bergh
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070515180854/http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/henrybergh.html Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography] – Henry Bergh

{{Animal welfare}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergh, Henry}}
[[Category:1813 births]]
[[Category:1888 deaths]]
[[Category:American Unitarians]]
[[Category:ASPCA workers]]
[[Category:Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery]]
[[Category:American animal welfare workers]]
[[Category:Children's rights activists]]
[[Category:Activists from New York City]]
[[Category:Columbia College (New York) alumni]]