STATE AND NATIONAL FEDERATIONS 245 



state units into a national group with a common basis and 

 common ideals. 



As early as 1915 there had been suggestions to this end 

 from Missouri, "West Virginia and other states. It was 

 not until February, 1919, however, that anything definite 

 was done looking to the actual organization of a national 

 federation of farm bureaus. In that year, on the initiative 

 of the New York Federation, and as the result of the work 

 of a committee headed by Frank M. Smith of Springfield 

 Center, Otsego County, appointed by it, representatives 

 from fourteen states met at Ithaca, N. Y., to consider the 

 advisability of organization. 



As a result of this meeting, a committee of five men, 

 with C. E. Bradfute of Zenia, Ohio, as chairman, was 

 selected to arrange for a larger and more representative 

 meeting at which a national organization should be ef- 

 fected. On November 13-14, 1919, at Chicago, with thirty- 

 one states represented, a temporary organization was 

 effected and a constitution was adopted to be in effect when 

 ratified by not less than twenty states. When the first 

 annual meeting was called at Chicago on March 3 and 4, 

 1920, twenty-eight states had ratified. J. B. Howard of 

 Iowa was elected President, S. L. Strivings of New York, 

 Vice-President, and John Coverdale of Iowa was selected 

 as Secretary. At the second annual meeting, held at In- 

 dianapolis, Indiana, in December, 1920, thirty-seven states 

 qualified sixty-five directors representing 826,816 members. 

 At Atlanta, Georgia, a year later, the third annual meet- 

 ing showed sixty-three directors from thirty-nine states 

 with nearly a million members. 



* 



CONTROL, BY DIRECTORS 



The American Farm Bureau Federation is governed by 

 a board of directors chosen by the member states, one at 



