The American Genetic Association (AGA), formerly the American Breeders' Association, founded 1903, is a USA-based learned society

Learned society

A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...

 dedicated to the study of genetics

Genetics

Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....

. It publishes the Journal of Heredity

Journal of Heredity

The Journal of Heredity is a scientific journal concerned with heredity in a biological sense, i.e. genetics...

History

Willet M. Hays

Willet M. Hays

Willet Martin Hays was an American plant breeder and U. S. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture.-Education:Hays was born 1859 on a farm near Eldora, Iowa. He graduated from Drake University in 1885 and obtained a master's degree in agriculture from the Iowa State College at Ames...

founded the American Breeders' Association (ABA) in 1903. Hays was the first president of the ABA, a position he kept for ten years. He formulated the three objectives of the organization: "(1) Determine the laws of inheritance in animals and plants. (2) Learn the application of these laws to increase the intrinsic commercial and artistic values of living things. (3) Aid in bringing about this desired improvement through associated effort." The ABA published the American Breeders’ Magazine from 1910-13. In 1915 the ABA was renamed and reorganized as the American Genetic Association.