25 Facts About Joseph Rothrock

Joseph Trimble Rothrock 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.

Joseph Rothrock was born in McVeytown in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania in the United States to a German farming family.

Joseph Rothrock was often ill as a child and spent many hours hiking the woods of Mifflin County for exercise to combat his illnesses.

Joseph Rothrock went on to become a pioneering environmentalist in Pennsylvania, helping preserve and re-establish the forests that he so loved.

Joseph Rothrock studied under Asa Gray, a renowned botanist at Harvard University.

Joseph Rothrock received a Bachelor of Science in botany from Harvard in 1862.

Joseph Rothrock enlisted in the Union Army the following year, saw action during the American Civil War and was seriously wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Joseph Rothrock was discharged from the Army on June 6,1864, having reached the rank of captain in the 20th Pennsylvania Cavalry.

Joseph Rothrock furthered his education at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a doctor of medicine degree in 1867.

Joseph Rothrock began practice in Centre County, Pennsylvania, but in 1870 moved to Wilkes-Barre, making a specialty of diseases of the eye and ear.

Joseph Rothrock 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.

Joseph Rothrock served as a surgeon and botanist for the geographical and geological exploration and survey west of the 100th meridian under Lieut.

Joseph Rothrock studied botany in Alsace at the University of Strassburg in 1880.

Joseph Rothrock served as the first president of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association in 1886.

Joseph Rothrock was a member of the PFA for most of the rest of his life.

Joseph Rothrock was appointed Commissioner of Forestry in Pennsylvania in 1895.

Joseph Rothrock led the drive to purchase land from lumber companies to create many of the state forests that are spread throughout Pennsylvania.

Joseph Rothrock used his medical expertise to open a sanatorium at what is Mont Alto State Park.

Joseph Rothrock opened the Pennsylvania State Forestry Academy, now Penn State Mont Alto, in 1903 under the authorization of Pennsylvania Governor, Samuel W Pennypacker.

Joseph Rothrock arranged for Ralph E Brock to attend the academy and become the first African American forester in the United States.

Joseph 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 and was interred at Oaklands Cemetery.

Joseph Rothrock left behind a legacy of environmental restoration and conservation.

Joseph Rothrock pioneered the treatment of tuberculosis in sanatoriums, established a hospital in Wilkes-Barre and helped explore the Canadian frontier.