Franklin B. Hough was a scientist, historian and the first chief of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Division of Forestry, the predecessor of the United States Forest Service

United States Forest Service

The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...

. He was among the first to call attention to the depletion of forests in the U.S. and is sometimes called the "father of American forestry

Forestry

Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

".

Biography

Benjamin Franklin Hough (prounounced "huff") was born in Martinsburg, New York

Martinsburg, New York

Martinsburg is a town in Lewis County, New York, United States. The population was 1,249 at the 2000 census. The town is named after founding father, Walter Martin....

 on July 20, 1822 to Horatio Gates Hough and Martha Pitcher Hough. Horatio, a physician from Meriden, Connecticut

Meriden, Connecticut

Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 59,653.-History:...

, was the first medical doctor to settle in Lewis County

Lewis County, New York

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,944 people, 10,040 households, and 7,309 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile . There were 15,134 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...

, in the west of the Adirondack Mountains

Adirondack Mountains

The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....

. Horatio Hough died in 1830 when Benjamin was eight years old, at which point he began to go by his middle name, Franklin.

As a young man, Franklin showed an interest in mineralogy

Mineralogy

Mineralogy is the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization.-History:Early writing...

 and long hikes. He graduated with a degree from Union College

Union College

Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...

 in Schenectady

Schenectady, New York

Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...

 in 1843, and in 1846 he was married to Maria Eggleston of Champion, New York

Champion, New York

Champion is a town in Jefferson County, New York, USA. The population was 4,494 at the 2010 census. The town is named after General Henry Champion, early owner.The Town of Champion is in the southern part of the county and is east of Watertown....

, and a daughter was born, Lola. He also published the first of his major scientific writings, A Catalogue of Indigenous, Naturalized, and Filicord Plants of Lewis Counties, New York. In 1848, he received an M.D. from Western Reserve College

Western Reserve College

Western Reserve College may refer to:* Western Reserve Academy, a private, mid-sized, coeducational boarding and day college preparatory school located in Hudson, Ohio...

. The same year, Maria died.

Medical career

Hough set up a medical practice in Somerville in St. Lawrence County, New York

St. Lawrence County, New York

St. Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 111,944. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which in turn was named for the Catholic saint on whose Feast day the river was discovered by...

. He devoted his spare time to natural history

Natural history

Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...

, and it was during this period that he discovered a mineral that would bear his name, houghite, a local variety of hydrotalcite

Hydrotalcite

Hydrotalcite is a layered double hydroxide of general formula Hydrotalcite is a layered double hydroxide of general formula Hydrotalcite is a layered double hydroxide of general formula (Mg6Al2(CO3)(OH)16·4(H2O) whose name is derived from its resemblance with talc and its high water content. It is...

. In 1849, he married Mariah Kilham, who in 1850 bore him a second daughter, Mary Ellen. Seven additional children were born to the couple between 1854 and 1872.

In 1852, Hough stepped down from the practice of medicine to concentrate on research and literary pursuits. He lived in Brownville

Brownville, New York

Brownvile, New York may refer to:*Brownville , New York*Brownville , New York...

 and Albany

Albany, New York

Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

 and published A History of St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties, New York (1853) and A History of Jefferson County in the State of New York (1854). He wrote prolifically, keeping three or more different manuscripts in progress at the same time in different rooms of his house. Explaining his work habits, he said, “I seek repose in labor.”

In 1854, Hough was appointed as superintendent of the 1855 New York State census, the first complete census of the state. He returned to Lewis County in 1860 to settle in Lowville, New York

Lowville, New York

Lowville, New York may refer to:*Lowville , New York, located in Lewis County*Lowville , New York, located within the Town of Lowville...

. The same year, he published A history of Lewis County, in the state of New York. In 1862, he started a periodical, The American Journal of Forestry. Due to a lack of subscribers, he retired it after only a year.

In 1861, with the advent of the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, Hough worked as an inspector for the United States Sanitary Commission

United States Sanitary Commission

The United States Sanitary Commission was a private relief agency created by federal legislation on June 18, 1861, to support sick and wounded soldiers of the U.S. Army during the American Civil War. It operated across the North, raised its own funds, and enlisted thousands of volunteers...

. In 1862, he enlisted as a surgeon in the 97th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The same year, he translated French military surgeon Lucien Baudens' account of medical conditions during the Crimean War

Crimean War

The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...

, publishing it as On Military and Camp Hospitals. He published an account of his war experiences in History of Duryee's Brigade (1864). Brigadier General Abram Duryée

Abram Duryée

Abram Duryée was a Union Army general during the American Civil War, the commander of one of the most famous Zouave regiments, the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry. After the war he was New York City Police Commissioner.-Birth and early years:...

 had commanded the 97th, 104th and 105th New York Infantry Regiment and the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment.

Father of American forestry

Ten years after supervising the 1855 New York State census, Hough returned to the job of overseeing the 1865 state census. Reviewing the returns, he noted with alarm a declining trend in the availability of timber. Finding additional evidence in the federal census of 1870, which he also supervised, he presented a paper entitled On the Duty of Governments in the Preservation of Forests to the 1873 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Association for the Advancement of Science

The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...

 in Portland, Maine

Portland, Maine

Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...

.

Hough argued that Mediterranean countries had harmed the environment by excessive harvests of trees, and that a similar problem faced the United States. He proposed regulation of the use of forests and the establishment of forestry schools. As a result of Hough's presentation, the Association formed a committee to educate Congress and state legislatures on the dangers of deforestation

Deforestation

Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....

, and to recommend legislation to avoid it.http://archives.aaas.org/docs/resolutions.php?doc_id=62 Hough was appointed to chair the committee. In 1876, as a result of the Association's lobbying, Congress created the office of Special Agent in the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assess the state of the forests and lumber in the United States. USDA Commissioner Frederick Watts

Frederick Watts

Frederick Watts , is called the “Father of Penn State University” and was a prominent agricultural reformer, lawyer and businessman who headed the U.S. Department of Agriculture as Commissioner of Agriculture from 1871-1877 under President Ulysses S...

 appointed Hough to fill the new position.

Hough traveled widely to compile his official 1877 Report on Forestry. Congress ordered the publication of 25,000 copies of the 650-page volume. In 1881, the Division of Forestry was created within the Department of Agriculture, with Hough as its first chief. In 1883, Secretary of Agriculture George B. Loring

George B. Loring

George Bailey Loring was a Member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts.He attended Franklin Academy at Andover, Massachusetts and later briefly taught school. He graduated from Harvard University in 1838 and from the Harvard medical school in 1842. He practiced medicine...

 replaced Hough, whom he disliked http://www.fs.fed.us/aboutus/history/chiefs/egleston.shtml, with Nathaniel Egleston. Hough resumed his previous role as special agent.

Hough died in Lowville on June 11, 1885. His home, the Franklin B. Hough House

Franklin B. Hough House

Frankln B. Hough House was the home of the "father of American forestry," Franklin Hough. Dr. Hough was a medical doctor, scientist, historian and the first chief of the United States Division of Forestry, the predecessor of the United States Forest Service....

, was declared a National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

 in 1963.

Major works

• A Catalogue of Indigenous, Naturalized, and Filicord Plants of Lewis Counties, New York (1846)
• A History of St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties, New York (1853)
• On Military and Camp Hospitals (translation, 1862)
• History of Duryee's Brigade (1864)
• Washingtoniana or Memorials of the Death of Washington (1865)
• American Biographical Notes (1875)
• Elements of Forestry (1882)

External links

• Franklin B. Hough (Forest History Society
  Forest History Society
  The Forest History Society is an American non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of forest and conservation history. The society was established in 1946 and incorporated in 1955....
  
  )