Henry Williams Jeffers (January 4, 1871 – July 17, 1953) was an American

dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

man and Republican Party politician who served as chairman of the

New Jersey Republican State Committee The New Jersey Republican Party (NJGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in New Jersey. It was founded in 1880 and is currently led by Bob Hugin. Current leadership * Bob Hugin, Chairman * Darlene Shotmeyer, Vice Chai ...

Biography

Jeffers was born in Hartford, Pennsylvania, to Watson and Betsey Milburn (Oakley) Jeffers. He attended

Wyoming Seminary Wyoming Seminary, founded in 1844, is a Methodist college preparatory school located in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The "Lower School," which consists of preschool to eighth-grade students, is located in Forty Fort. The "Up ...

Kingston, Pennsylvania Kingston is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the western bank of the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre. Kingston was first settled in the early 17 ...

, before going on to

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, where he received a B.S. degree in 1899. He married Anna C. Adams on July 14, 1898.Myers, William Starr. ''The Story of New Jersey'' (1945). Reprinted a
''Prominent Families of New Jersey''
(Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000). Starting in his senior year at Cornell in 1898, Jeffers worked for the Walker-Gordon Dairy Farm, eventually becoming president in 1918. At Walker-Gordon, based in Plainsboro Township,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, Jeffers invented a number of technological innovations streamlining dairy production, including the Jeffers

bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the Morphology (biology), morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the iden ...

counter, the Jeffers

feed Feed or The Feed may refer to: Animal foodstuffs * Animal feed, food given to domestic animals in the course of animal husbandry ** Fodder, foodstuffs manufactured for animal consumption ** Forage, foodstuffs that animals gather themselves, su ...

calculator, and the Rotolactor (a rotary milking parlor, a sort of "

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

" for cows, invented in 1930).The Rotolactor

''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', July 19, 1953. Accessed March 29, 2008. Jeffers served on the New Jersey Board of Agriculture from 1916 to 1927. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he served on advisory boards for the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

and the American Food Administration under

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

. Jeffers was among the founders of Plainsboro Township, having petitioned the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

to form a new municipality out of sections of Cranbury and South Brunswick townships. After the township was officially founded on May 6, 1919, Jeffers was elected the first mayor. Jeffers was also active in Republican politics in New Jersey. He was selected as chairman of the

in 1935 when E. Donald Sterner was named State Highway Commissioner. He served until 1937."Jersey Democrats Rally to New Deal"
''

'', September 29, 1937. Accessed March 29, 2008. Jeffers died on July 17, 1953, at Princeton Hospital in

Princeton, New Jersey The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...

, at the age of 82.

References

External links

Biographical information for Henry W. Jeffers
from

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 Politics of the United States, American political figures and List of United States political families, political families, along with other informa ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffers, Henry W. 1871 births 1953 deaths Farmers from New Jersey Chairmen of the New Jersey Republican State Committee Cornell University alumni Mayors of places in New Jersey People from Plainsboro Township, New Jersey People from Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania Politicians from Middlesex County, New Jersey New Jersey Republicans 20th-century American farmers 20th-century mayors of places in New Jersey