Feeders, Packers and Industry Leaders
Alvin Howard Sanders and the Breeder's Gazette
A young Northwestern law graduate became the voice of American livestock publishing.
Who Was Alvin Howard Sanders?
Alvin Howard Sanders lived from 1860 to 1948 and was a lawyer, writer and publisher of livestock books and magazines. The Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Foundation profile calls him arguably the most prominent name in livestock publishing when Chicago was the center of the industry.
His work shaped what American breeders read, how breeds were recorded in print and how the livestock world gathered each winter.
The profile also notes the lasting reach of his books, which ranchers and historians consulted long after the weekly paper stopped being a daily habit.
Founding the Breeder's Gazette in 1881
In 1881, Sanders and his father, James Sanders, founded the weekly Breeder's Gazette. It was financed by agricultural implement manufacturer Jerome I. Case. Sanders had just finished his law degree at Northwestern University.
He became editor and publisher in 1883. For breeders in every state, the paper carried prices, show results and breed debates.
Books on the Shorthorn, Hereford and Percheron
Sanders is best known for his books, among them histories of the Shorthorn, Hereford and Percheron breeds. He also wrote At the Sign of the Stock Yard Inn.
The last of these documents the founding of the Saddle & Sirloin Club and its portrait gallery by Arthur Leonard, Robert Ogilvie and Sanders. These books are still source material for anyone studying how those breeds were built.
Public Service and the International Live Stock Exposition
Sanders served on the American delegation to the Paris Exposition and on the U.S. Tariff Board. In the livestock world, he was vice president and later president of the International Live Stock Exposition.
That show gave Chicago an annual gathering where cattle, feed and ideas could be compared side by side.
His leadership at the exposition brought him into daily contact with cattlemen, feeders and packers, the same audience his magazine served.
The Key to Sanders's Success
Sanders's strength was timing and trust. He launched a paper in Chicago just as the yards became the center of livestock marketing, and he kept it useful. You can find more breed stories in a farm.FM story on livestock publishing and across the farm.FM ranching section.
- He started the Gazette with his father in 1881, with outside financing from Jerome I. Case.
- He took on the editor and publisher roles in 1883.
- He wrote breed histories that became reference works.
- He took leadership posts at the International Live Stock Exposition.
- He helped found the Saddle & Sirloin Club's portrait gallery.
The Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery
Arvid Frederick Nyholm, who lived from 1866 to 1927, painted Sanders's portrait. The profile says a portrait of his father, painted by James R. Stuart, the club's first artist, hangs alongside it.
It presumes both survived the 1934 fire, which destroyed most of the club's works by these artists. The page does not confirm their survival.
Why His Work Still Matters
A trade paper, a handful of histories and a portrait gallery are modest things, but they kept the record of American cattle breeding in one place. Researchers still turn to his books to find who imported which animals and when.
For this site, Sanders represents the people who documented the industry, not only those who bred cattle.
The Portrait Foundation profile stays the best single reference for his career, and the page on his induction also lists his portrait painter.
Timeline
- 1860Born
- 1881Founds the Breeder's Gazette with his father after finishing his law degree at Northwestern
- 1883Becomes editor and publisher
- 1934Fire destroys most Saddle & Sirloin portraits by Nyholm and Stuart
- 1948Dies
Frequently asked questions
Who was Alvin Howard Sanders?
He was a lawyer, writer and publisher who edited the Breeder's Gazette in Chicago and wrote histories of the Shorthorn, Hereford and Percheron breeds.
When was the Breeder's Gazette founded?
Sanders and his father James founded the weekly Breeder's Gazette in 1881, financed by Jerome I. Case. Sanders became editor and publisher in 1883.
What is At the Sign of the Stock Yard Inn?
It is Sanders's book documenting the founding of the Saddle & Sirloin Club and its portrait gallery by Arthur Leonard, Robert Ogilvie and Sanders.
What public roles did Sanders hold?
He served on the American delegation to the Paris Exposition and the U.S. Tariff Board, and he was president of the International Live Stock Exposition.
Sources and further reading
Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.
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