Joseph Rothrock
Encyclopedia
Joseph Trimbel Rothrock (April 9, 1839 - June 2, 1922) was an American environmentalist
, recognized as the "Father of Forestry" in Pennsylvania. In 1895, Rothrock was appointed the first forestry commissioner to lead the newly formed Division of Forestry in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
. Two of his major accomplishments as commissioner were his land acquisition program and the creation of a forest academy to train foresters for state service.
in Mifflin County
, Pennsylvania
in the United States
. He was often ill as a child and spent many hours hiking the woods of Mifflin County for exercise to combat his illnesses. It was while on these walks that Rothrock developed a love for the outdoors. He went on to become a pioneering environmentalist
in Pennsylvania, helping preserve and re-establish the forests that he so loved.
, a renowned botanist at Harvard University
. Rothrock received a bachelor of science
in botany
from Harvard in 1862. He enlisted in the Union Army
the following year, saw action during the American Civil War
and was seriously wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg
. Rothrock was discharged from the Army on June 6, 1864, having reached the rank of captain in the 20th Pennsylvania Cavalry. He furthered his education at the University of Pennsylvania
, receiving a doctor of medicine
degree in 1867.
Rothrock began practice in Centre County, Pennsylvania
, but in 1870 moved to Wilkes-Barre, making a specialty of diseases of the eye and ear. He was one of the founders of Wilkes-Barre Hospital
, and served on the faculty of Penn State University from 1867 to 1869, where he taught botany, human anatomy
and physiology
.
Rothrock was associated with the exploring party of the Western Union
extension telegraph in British Columbia
1865-1866. He served as a surgeon
and botanist for the geographical and geological exploration and survey west of the 100th meridian under Lieut. George M. Wheeler, the Wheeler Survey
, 1873-1875. In 1876, he established the North Mountain School of Physical Culture in Luzerne County
, also during the same year he was appointed by the American Philosophical Society
lecturer on forestry in execution of the Michaux legacy. He studied botany in Alsace
at the University of Strassburg in 1880. It was while Rothrock was in Europe that he began to study forest management, which led him to be a pioneer in forest management in Pennsylvania and the United States.
of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association (PFA) in 1886. The PFA was formed to promote conservation
and to support the creation of state parks and state forests in Pennsylvania. Rothrock was a member of the PFA for most of the rest of his life. He used it as a pulpit to "incite the interest of people throughout the state on forestry -- to preserve, protect and propagate the forest." Rothrock was appointed commissioner of forestry in Pennsylvania in 1895. He led the drive to purchase land from lumber companies to create many of the state forests that are spread throughout Pennsylvania. Rothrock used his medical expertise to open a sanatorium
at what is now Mont Alto State Park
. The sanatorium treated those afflicted with tuberculosis
and other respiratory illnesses. He also opened the Pennsylvania School of Forestry
at Mont Alto
in 1903 under the authorization of Pennsylvania Governor, Samuel W. Pennypacker
. Rothrock resigned as commissioner of forestry in 1904, but continued to serve on the commission until 1914.
Joseph Trimble Rothrock died in 1922 at West Chester
, Pennsylvania, leaving behind a legacy of environmental restoration and conservation. In his position as Pennsylvania commissioner of forestry he was able to begin the process of acquiring land for the creation of the many state forests and parks that now dot Pennsylvania's landscape. As a voice for environmental protection, he inspired succeeding generations to conserve and manage the use of Pennsylvania's extensive forests. Rothrock pioneered the treatment of tuberculosis in sanatoriums, established a hospital in Wilkes-Barre and helped explore the Canadian frontier.
In a speech given in 1915, Rothrock recalled the forests of his youth: "Sixty years ago I walked from Clearfield
to St. Marys
; thence to Smethport
-- 60 miles; most of the way through glorious white pine and hemlock forests. Now these forests are gone." In describing the forest conditions of 1915 he said, "6,400 square miles; more than 4 million acres [16,000 km²] of the state are desolated, cut and unprotected from fire." He compared Pennsylvania's forests to similar forest destruction in China
. He worried that, "unless we reforest, Pennsylvania's highlands will wash into the oceans." Thanks to men like Joseph Rothrock, Jacob Nolde
, Maurice Goddard and Gifford Pinchot
, Pennsylvania has thriving second growth forests that have recovered from the ravages of the lumber era that swept across its hills and valleys in the late 19th century.
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
, recognized as the "Father of Forestry" in Pennsylvania. In 1895, Rothrock was appointed the first forestry commissioner to lead the newly formed Division of Forestry in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is a cabinet-level agency in Pennsylvania. The Department is responsible for encouraging, protecting and promoting agriculture and related industries throughout the commonwealth while providing consumer protection through inspection services that impact the...
. Two of his major accomplishments as commissioner were his land acquisition program and the creation of a forest academy to train foresters for state service.
Early life
Joseph Rothrock was born in McVeytownMcVeytown, Pennsylvania
McVeytown, formerly Waynesburg, was settled in 1762, laid out in 1795 and incorporated in 1833. It is located in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 405 at the 2000 census. The "Father of Pennsylvania Forestry", Dr. Joseph Rothrock was born in McVeytown on April 9, 1839...
in Mifflin County
Mifflin County, Pennsylvania
Mifflin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 46,682. Its county seat is Lewistown. It is named after Thomas Mifflin, the first Governor of Pennsylvania.-Geography:...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was often ill as a child and spent many hours hiking the woods of Mifflin County for exercise to combat his illnesses. It was while on these walks that Rothrock developed a love for the outdoors. He went on to become a pioneering environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
in Pennsylvania, helping preserve and re-establish the forests that he so loved.
Education and early career
Joseph Rothrock studied under Asa GrayAsa Gray
-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
, a renowned botanist at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Rothrock received a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
from Harvard in 1862. He enlisted in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
the following year, saw action during 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...
and was seriously wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
. Rothrock was discharged from the Army on June 6, 1864, having reached the rank of captain in the 20th Pennsylvania Cavalry. He furthered his education at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, receiving a doctor of medicine
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
degree in 1867.
Rothrock began practice in Centre County, Pennsylvania
Centre County, Pennsylvania
Centre County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 153,990....
, but in 1870 moved to Wilkes-Barre, making a specialty of diseases of the eye and ear. He was one of the founders of Wilkes-Barre Hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, and served on the faculty of Penn State University from 1867 to 1869, where he taught botany, human anatomy
Human anatomy
Human anatomy is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the human body. Anatomy is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Gross anatomy is the study of anatomical structures that can be seen by the naked eye...
and physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
.
Rothrock was associated with the exploring party of the Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
extension telegraph in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
1865-1866. He served as a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
and botanist for the geographical and geological exploration and survey west of the 100th meridian under Lieut. George M. Wheeler, the Wheeler Survey
Wheeler Survey
The Wheeler Survey was a survey of a portion of the United States lying west of the 100th meridian. It comprised multiple expeditions, and was supervised by First Lieutenant George Montague Wheeler....
, 1873-1875. In 1876, he established the North Mountain School of Physical Culture in Luzerne County
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
- Demographics :As of the 2010 census, the county was 90.7% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% were two or more races. 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry...
, also during the same year he was appointed by the American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
lecturer on forestry in execution of the Michaux legacy. He studied botany in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
at the University of Strassburg in 1880. It was while Rothrock was in Europe that he began to study forest management, which led him to be a pioneer in forest management in Pennsylvania and the United States.
Later career
Dr. Joseph Rothrock served as the first presidentPresident
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association (PFA) in 1886. The PFA was formed to promote conservation
Conservation ethic
Conservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity. Secondary focus is on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen as important to...
and to support the creation of state parks and state forests in Pennsylvania. Rothrock was a member of the PFA for most of the rest of his life. He used it as a pulpit to "incite the interest of people throughout the state on forestry -- to preserve, protect and propagate the forest." Rothrock was appointed commissioner of forestry in Pennsylvania in 1895. He led the drive to purchase land from lumber companies to create many of the state forests that are spread throughout Pennsylvania. Rothrock used his medical expertise to open a sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
at what is now Mont Alto State Park
Mont Alto State Park
Mont Alto State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Quincy Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 233 one mile from Mont Alto.-Mont Alto Iron Company:...
. The sanatorium treated those afflicted with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and other respiratory illnesses. He also opened the Pennsylvania School of Forestry
Penn State Mont Alto
Penn State Mont Alto is a Pennsylvania State University Commonwealth Campus. It is located in Mont Alto, PA, in south central Pennsylvania, between Chambersburg and Gettysburg...
at Mont Alto
Mont Alto, Pennsylvania
Mont Alto is a borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,357 at the 2000 census.-History:John Funk built the first house in the borough in 1817 on what is now Main Street. At this time the town was known as Funkstown...
in 1903 under the authorization of Pennsylvania Governor, Samuel W. Pennypacker
Samuel W. Pennypacker
Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker was the 23rd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1903 to 1907.-Biography:Gov. Pennypacker was born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, April 9, 1843; son of Dr. Isaac A. Pennypacker and Anna Maria Whitaker; grandson of Matthias and Sarah Anderson , and of Joseph and Grace Whitaker...
. Rothrock resigned as commissioner of forestry in 1904, but continued to serve on the commission until 1914.
Legacy
West Chester, Pennsylvania
The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester...
, Pennsylvania, leaving behind a legacy of environmental restoration and conservation. In his position as Pennsylvania commissioner of forestry he was able to begin the process of acquiring land for the creation of the many state forests and parks that now dot Pennsylvania's landscape. As a voice for environmental protection, he inspired succeeding generations to conserve and manage the use of Pennsylvania's extensive forests. Rothrock pioneered the treatment of tuberculosis in sanatoriums, established a hospital in Wilkes-Barre and helped explore the Canadian frontier.
In a speech given in 1915, Rothrock recalled the forests of his youth: "Sixty years ago I walked from Clearfield
Clearfield, Pennsylvania
Clearfield is a borough in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,631 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clearfield County.-Geography:Clearfield is located at ....
to St. Marys
St. Marys, Pennsylvania
St. Marys is a city in Elk County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,502 at the 2000 census. Originally a small, Bavarian Catholic town, St. Marys was founded December 8, 1842. It is home to Straub Brewery and the first Benedictine convent in the United States. In 1992, the...
; thence to Smethport
Smethport, Pennsylvania
Smethport is a borough in McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States. The current mayor is Ross Porter. The population was 1,684 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of McKean County.-History:The U.S...
-- 60 miles; most of the way through glorious white pine and hemlock forests. Now these forests are gone." In describing the forest conditions of 1915 he said, "6,400 square miles; more than 4 million acres [16,000 km²] of the state are desolated, cut and unprotected from fire." He compared Pennsylvania's forests to similar forest destruction in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He worried that, "unless we reforest, Pennsylvania's highlands will wash into the oceans." Thanks to men like Joseph Rothrock, Jacob Nolde
Jacob Nolde
Jacob Nolde was an American industrialist and environmentalist who was largely responsible for the creation of Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center, a Pennsylvania state park in Berks County, Pennsylvania in the United States....
, Maurice Goddard and Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service and the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania...
, Pennsylvania has thriving second growth forests that have recovered from the ravages of the lumber era that swept across its hills and valleys in the late 19th century.
Works
- Flora of Alaska (1867)
- Botany of the Wheeler Expedition (1878)
- Vacation Cruisings (1884)
- Pennsylvania Forest Reports (1895-97)