American Society of Questioned Document Examiners
Encyclopedia
The American Society of Questioned Document Examiners is the world's oldest society
dedicated to the forensic science of questioned document examination
. The current president is Linton Mohammed. The society publishes the Journal of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners
twice a year.
who meets the criteria for membership according to the by-laws.
There are eight classes of membership in the society: Affiliate Members, Provisional Members, Regular Members, Specialist Members, Corresponding Members, Life Members, Life Corresponding Members, and Honorary Members. Examiners from the United States or Canada are eligible to become Regular members while examiners from other countries are considered to be Corresponding members.
of New York City
invited Elbridge Stein of Pittsburgh to discuss questioned document examination issues beginning the earliest days of the society. J. Fordyce Wood of Chicago
, J. Frank Shearman of Wichita, Kansas
, and John J. Lomax of Montreal
, were invited in the years immediately following. John F. Tyrrell of Milwaukee, WI, began attending early meetings and Albert D. Osborn, the son of Albert S. Osborn, attended in 1919 upon returning from service overseas during World War I
. Herbert J. Walter of Winnipeg, Canada, was later invited in 1926 and within the next two years, Edwin H. Fearon of Pittsburgh, PA, Harry E. Cassidy of Richmond, MI, and Scott E. Leslie of Cleveland, OH, joined the group.
James Clark Sellers of Los Angeles, CA was invited and attended the 1930 meeting. At that meeting, Rafael Fernandez Ruenes of Havana, Cuba, also attended. In 1931, John L. Harris of Los Angeles, CA was asked to join. In the meantime, George Walter (son of Herbert J. Walter) became a member. Elwin C. Leslie (son of Scott E. Leslie) attended and participated in the 1939 meeting. George J. Lacy, Houston, TX, was invited and first attended in 1942 as did, Warren T. Johnson. Other names have been relegated to obscurity because of a lack of interest or inability to participate in the rigorous contributory program.
Membership was entirely by invitation and the organization remained informal up until this time. Its meetings were completely educational in scope and annual attendance, as well as full participation in the program, were a requirement for subsequent invitation.
On September 2, 1942, it was decided to formalize the organization and it became known as The American Society of Questioned Document Examiners, its current name.
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
dedicated to the forensic science of questioned document examination
Questioned document examination
Questioned document examination is the forensic science discipline pertaining to documents that are in dispute in a court of law...
. The current president is Linton Mohammed. The society publishes the Journal of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners
Journal of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners
The Journal of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes original research papers, technical aids, reviews of current practises or procedures, as well as historical articles relating to forensic document examination...
twice a year.
Membership
Membership in the society is open to any practising questioned document examinerQuestioned document examination
Questioned document examination is the forensic science discipline pertaining to documents that are in dispute in a court of law...
who meets the criteria for membership according to the by-laws.
There are eight classes of membership in the society: Affiliate Members, Provisional Members, Regular Members, Specialist Members, Corresponding Members, Life Members, Life Corresponding Members, and Honorary Members. Examiners from the United States or Canada are eligible to become Regular members while examiners from other countries are considered to be Corresponding members.
History
In 1913, Albert S. OsbornAlbert S. Osborn
Albert Sherman Osborn is considered the father of the science of questioned document examination in North America . His seminal book Questioned Documents was first published in 1910 and later heavily revised as a second edition in 1929...
of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
invited Elbridge Stein of Pittsburgh to discuss questioned document examination issues beginning the earliest days of the society. J. Fordyce Wood of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, J. Frank Shearman of Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, and John J. Lomax of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, were invited in the years immediately following. John F. Tyrrell of Milwaukee, WI, began attending early meetings and Albert D. Osborn, the son of Albert S. Osborn, attended in 1919 upon returning from service overseas during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Herbert J. Walter of Winnipeg, Canada, was later invited in 1926 and within the next two years, Edwin H. Fearon of Pittsburgh, PA, Harry E. Cassidy of Richmond, MI, and Scott E. Leslie of Cleveland, OH, joined the group.
James Clark Sellers of Los Angeles, CA was invited and attended the 1930 meeting. At that meeting, Rafael Fernandez Ruenes of Havana, Cuba, also attended. In 1931, John L. Harris of Los Angeles, CA was asked to join. In the meantime, George Walter (son of Herbert J. Walter) became a member. Elwin C. Leslie (son of Scott E. Leslie) attended and participated in the 1939 meeting. George J. Lacy, Houston, TX, was invited and first attended in 1942 as did, Warren T. Johnson. Other names have been relegated to obscurity because of a lack of interest or inability to participate in the rigorous contributory program.
Membership was entirely by invitation and the organization remained informal up until this time. Its meetings were completely educational in scope and annual attendance, as well as full participation in the program, were a requirement for subsequent invitation.
On September 2, 1942, it was decided to formalize the organization and it became known as The American Society of Questioned Document Examiners, its current name.
List of past presidents
- Albert S. OsbornAlbert S. OsbornAlbert Sherman Osborn is considered the father of the science of questioned document examination in North America . His seminal book Questioned Documents was first published in 1910 and later heavily revised as a second edition in 1929...
1942-1946 - James Clark Sellers 1946-1950
- Albert D. Osborn 1950-1952
- John L. Harris 1952-1956
- George J. Lacy 1956-1960
- Ordway Hilton 1960-1962
- David A. Black 1962-1964
- Donald B. Doud 1964-1966
- John J. Harris 1966-1968
- Lucile P. Lacy 1968-1970
- David J. Purtell 1970-1972
- Linton Godown 1972-1974
- Philip L. Schmitz 1974-1976
- Joe Nemecek 1976-1978
- John C. Shimoda 1978-1980
- David A. Crown 1980-1982
- Charles C. Scott 1982-1984
- Maureen Casey-Owens 1984-1986
- John F. McCarthy 1986-1988
- James V. P. Conway 1988-199
- Paul A. Osborn 1990-1992
- Gideon Epstein 1992-1994
- Ronald M. Dick 1994-1996
- Roy A. Huber 1996-1998
- Robert J. Muehlberger 1998-2000
- Diane K. Tolliver 2000-2002
- Grant R. Sperry 2002-2004
- Dan C. Purdy 2004-2006
- Howard C. Rile, Jr. 2006-2008
- Farrell C. Shiver 2008-2010
- Linton A. Mohammed 2010-2012