George Thorndike Angell

George Thorndike Angell (June 5, 1823 – March 16 1909) was an American lawyer and philanthropist who advocated humane treatment of animals.

He was born at Southbridge, Massachusetts, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1846, studied law at the Harvard Law School, and in 1851 was admitted to the bar in Boston, where he practised for many years.

In 1868 he founded and became president of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in the same year establishing and becoming editor of Our Dumb Animals, a journal for the promotion of organized effort in securing the humane treatment of animals. For many years he was active in the organization of humane societies in England and America. In 1882 he initiated the movement for the establishment of Bands of Mercy (for the promotion of humane treatment of animals), of which in 1908 there were more than 72,000 in active existence. In 1889 he founded and became president of the American Humane Education Society.

He became well known as a criminologist and also as an advocate of laws for the safeguarding of the public health and against adulteration of food.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.