Henry Bergh (August 29, 1813 – March 12, 1888)

On April 10, 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was founded in New York City by philanthropist and diplomat Henry Bergh, 54 (above).

In 1863, Bergh had been appointed by President Abraham
Lincoln to a diplomatic post at the Russian court of Czar
Alexander II. It was there that he was horrified to witness
work horses beaten by their peasant drivers. En route back
to America, a June 1865 visit to the Royal Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in London awakened his
determination to secure a charter not only to incorporate
the ASPCA but to exercise the power to arrest and prosecute
violators of the law.

When you become an ASPCA Guardian, your regular monthly
gift allows us to spend less time fundraising—and more time
saving lives.

Every gift saves lives. Please make a one time gift if you are not
able to make a monthly commitment.

aspca. org

Television and movie actor William Talman, best known for playing
Los Angeles District Attorney Hamilton Burger in the CBS television
series Perry Mason (Sept. 21, 1957 – May 22, 1966).

Talman is also known for being the first actor in Hollywood to film an
antismoking public service announcement for the American Cancer
Society. A lifelong heavy smoker, he was diagnosed with lung cancer,
and knew he was dying when he filmed the commercial.

The short film began with the words: “Before I die, I want to do what I can
to leave a world free of cancer for my six children. Talman requested that
the commercial not be aired until after his death.

William Talman as seen in a 1957 episode of Perry Mason.

Smokey Bear is an campaign and advertising icon created by the  
U.S.Forest Service with artist Albert Staehle (below). In the Wildfire
Prevention Campaign, which is the longest-running public service 
announcement (PSA) campaign in United States history.

Albert Staehle  (1899 – 1974)