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Dr. O.M. Franklin and the Blackleg Vaccine That Protected Cattle

A research veterinarian turned a Kansas lab discovery into a company that, by the 1960s, led the world in cattle vaccines.

Who was Dr. O.M. Franklin?

Dr. O.M. Franklin was a research veterinarian who built the vaccine business that protected a generation of American cattle. The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum's profile lists his years as 1886 to 1973 and places him in Texas, though it does not name his birthplace.

The museum page does not describe his schooling or any ranching of his own, so this profile is marked thin on early life. What it does document is a straight line from research to product to company.

What did Franklin develop at the Kansas Experiment Station?

In 1916 Franklin developed Aggressin, described as the first effective blackleg vaccine, after four years of research with his team at the Kansas Experiment Station. Blackleg is a disease of cattle, and a working vaccine meant stockmen could protect calves instead of losing them.

That same year he moved to Wichita, Kansas, and built a small plant to manufacture the vaccine. He had a product and a place to make it in the same year.

How did the Franklin company grow?

According to the museum's Hall of Great Westerners page, in 1917 he established the Blackleg Serum Company of Kansas, which later moved operations to Amarillo, Texas. In 1918 he developed the first blackleg bacterin, made with a liver broth and formalin to kill the bacteria. According to the museum, it was tested on 50,000 calves over four years.

He patented the vaccine in 1923. The firm was renamed the O.M. Franklin Serum Company in 1927 and expanded into livestock and pharmaceutical supplies. In 1930 it diversified into other vaccines.

The Key to Franklin's Success

The record shows a scientist who stayed with a problem and then turned the answer into a business. Each step, from lab to plant to company to patent, is dated on the museum page.

For more on cattle health and the beef trade, farm.FM keeps a ranching section and a farm.FM story on cattle vaccines.

  • He spent four years on research with a team before announcing Aggressin in 1916.
  • He built a small manufacturing plant in Wichita right away.
  • He tested the 1918 bacterin on 50,000 calves over four years.
  • He patented the vaccine in 1923 to protect the product.
  • He widened the company to livestock and pharmaceutical supplies in 1927 and other vaccines in 1930.

How big did Franklin's company become?

By the 1960s the company had become the largest cattle vaccine and supply company in the world. The museum credits it with producing 250 million doses of blackleg protection and annual sales above 5 million dollars.

In 1963 it was acquired by American Home Products and renamed Franklin Laboratories.

Why did Amarillo matter for cattle health?

Franklin's company moved to Amarillo, in the Texas Panhandle, where cattle feeding concentrated. A Texas A&M veterinary college release notes that Texas ranks first in cattle and that nearly one-third of the nation's beef supply moves through Panhandle feedlots, as described in a Texas A&M veterinary medicine press release.

The release does not mention Franklin. It is cited only for the regional setting, and it places a veterinarian in the feeders group because his work served the cattle that fed there.

What honors did Franklin receive?

The museum lists his induction in 2011 into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Other honors are not documented on the pages consulted, so none are claimed here.

His legacy is the vaccine itself and the company that carried it to cattle producers. Anyone researching him further should look for biographies or company histories, since this entry rests on the museum page.

Timeline

  1. 1886Born, listed under Texas
  2. 1916Develops Aggressin after four years of research at the Kansas Experiment Station; moves to Wichita
  3. 1917Establishes the Blackleg Serum Company of Kansas, later moved to Amarillo
  4. 1918Develops the first blackleg bacterin
  5. 1923Patents the vaccine
  6. 1927Company renamed the O.M. Franklin Serum Company
  7. 1963Company acquired by American Home Products, renamed Franklin Laboratories
  8. 1973Dies
  9. 2011Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners

Frequently asked questions

Who was Dr. O.M. Franklin?

Dr. O.M. Franklin (1886-1973) was a research veterinarian who developed early blackleg vaccines and founded the company that became the O.M. Franklin Serum Company in Amarillo, Texas.

What was Aggressin?

Aggressin, developed in 1916 after four years of research at the Kansas Experiment Station, is described by the National Cowboy Museum as the first effective blackleg vaccine.

What happened to the Franklin company?

It became the largest cattle vaccine and supply company in the world by the 1960s, then was acquired in 1963 by American Home Products and renamed Franklin Laboratories.

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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