Today in History ^04/10/18

Lived: Aug 29, 1813 – Mar 12, 1888 (age 74)
Spouse: Catherine Matilda Taylor
Founded: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Education: Columbia College
Parents: Christian Bergh
Buried: Green-Wood Cemetery

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Highlights

• 1862: In 1862 Bergh entered government service, being appointed by President Abraham Lincoln as secretary of the American legation in Tsarist Russia.


• 1864: He would serve time in St. Petersburg, acting vice-consul, before resigning his position in 1864 due to Russia’s severe winter weather.


• 1874: Bergh also prompted the formation, in 1874, of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC).


• 1874: 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.


• 1875: 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 (NYSPCC) in 1875.


• 1888: Bergh died on March 12, 1888, in New York City.