Henry Bergh

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. Bergh also prompted the formation, in 1874, of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC). Life Henry Bergh was born August 29, 1813, in New York City, to Christian Bergh III and Elizabeth Bergh. His father, an ethnic German, was a successful shipbuilder who had completed a series of contracts for the government. Henry Bergh joined his father in 1835 at the 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. Bergh attended Columbia College in New York City, but left before completing his degree, deciding instead to tour Europe, where he remained for five years. In 1862 Bergh entered government service when President Abraham Lincoln appointed him secretary of the U.S. legation in Tsarist Russia. He served time in St. Petersburg as acting vice-consul. He resigned his position in 1864 owing to Russia's severe winter weather.