Dr. Henry M.Whelpley 
Dr. Henry Milton Whelpley was one of those extraordinary individuals whose accom- 
plishments and interests seemed too numerous to fit into the span of one life. He was 
at once a teacher of medicine on the faculty of two colleges, a college dean, an editor, 
a collector, lecturer and nationally known authority on the American Indian. 
Dr. Whelpley was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, on May 24, 1861. His father, who 
joined the Union Army during the Civil War, moved the family to Cobden, Illinois, 
shortly after the war ended. It was there that young Henry first became interested in 
Indian artifacts. Undoubtedly, he was encouraged by his father who was also a collec- 
tor. Later the family returned to Michigan where Henry Whelpley finished high school. 
He attended the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, graduating in 1883 at the age of 22. 
Whelpley was a bright student, winning the alumni medal for the best scholastic 
record in his graduating class. For the first two months following his graduation, he 
managed the company pharmacy at Mine LaMotte, Madison County, Missouri. He 
returned to St. Louis in 1884 to become the associate editor of the St Louis 
Druggist. \n 1890 he graduated from Missouri Medical College, and two years later 
he completed his work at the St. Louis Postgraduate School of Medicine. In June of 
1892 he married Laura Eugenia Spannagel. 
Whether lecturing on Indian lore to a group of Rotarians or teaching physiology to 
college students, Henry M. Whelpley was first and foremost a teacher. His ability to 
communicate with others was evident to the board of directors of his high school 
who provided young Henry with a year’s tuition for teaching a class in algebra that 
could not be accommodated in the regular curriculum. At the St. Louis College of 
Pharmacy, Whelpley was Dean and professor of pharmacognosy, materia medica, 
and physiology. He was also secretary of the faculty, professor of physiology and 
histology and Director of the Biological Laboratory of the Missouri Medical 
College. 
In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Whelpley served a term as President of the 
American Pharmaceutical Association and was treasurer of that group from 1908 to 
1921. He was President of the American Conference of Pharmaceutical Faculties 
from 1905-1906 and was Secretary of the Missouri Pharmaceutical Association for 
30 years. He was also instrumental in organizing professional groups such as the 
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. 
This is only a partial list of his activities; yet for all his endeavors, Henry Whelpley 
found time to laboriously put together one of the largest and finest collections of 
Indian artifacts in the Midwest. Many he collected himself in the fields near his 
Illinois home, while others he obtained by purchase or trade with collectors and 
