George Thorndike Angell

Who was George Thorndike Angell?

George Thorndike Angell was an American lawyer, philanthropist, and advocate for the humane treatment of animals.

He was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1846, studied law at the Harvard Law School, and in 1851 was admitted to the bar in Boston, where he practiced for many years.

While attending horse races in 1866 he witnessed two horses being run to death. Motivated by this incident and inspired by the work of Henry Bergh in New York, his advocacy for the humane treatment of animals became a lifelong passion.

In 1868 he founded and became president of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in the same year establishing and becoming editor of Our Dumb Animals, a journal for the promotion of organized effort in securing the humane treatment of animals. For many years he was active in the organization of humane societies in England and America. In 1882 he initiated the movement for the establishment of Bands of Mercy, of which in 1908 there were more than 72,000 in active existence. In 1889 he founded and became president of the American Humane Education Society.