thumb|150px|Detail of [[George Thorndike Angell Memorial|monument to George Thorndike Angell in the Financial District, Boston, Massachusetts]]
George Thorndike Angell (June 5, 1823March 16, 1909) was an American lawyer, philanthropist, and activist. He advocated for animal welfare, founding and serving as president of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He also championed public health reform and opposed food adulteration.
Biography
George Thorndike Angell was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1846, studied law at the Harvard Law School, and in 1851 was admitted to the bar in Boston, where he practiced for many years.
While attending horse races in 1866 he witnessed two horses being run to death. Motivated by this incident and inspired by the work of Henry Bergh in New York, his advocacy for the humane treatment of animals became a lifelong passion.
In 1868 Angell founded and became president of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in the same year establishing and becoming editor of Our Dumb Animals, a journal for the promotion of organized effort in securing the humane treatment of animals. For many years he was active in the organization of humane societies in England and America.
Selected publications
- Cattle Transportation in the United States (1872)
- The Check-Rein (1872)
- Protection of Animals (1874)
- Autobiographical Sketches and Personal Recollections (1882)