Noted Shorthorn breeder and the first vice president of the American Shorthorn Association.
1834-1927 | Artist: Robert Wadsworth Grafton (1876-1936)
Impact & Accomplishments
Benjamin Van Meter was born in Clark County, Kentucky. His education at Centre College was interrupted at age nineteen by a trip to England, carrying a commission to import pedigreed Shorthorns to America. His father and grandfather were both major stockholders in the Ohio Importing Company, and he was well-acquainted with breeders Abram Renick and Robert Alexander.
When his father Isaac died in 1854, the Van Meter herd consisted of approximately 100 head of cattle, which Van Meter improved over the next fifty years, developing the very successful Red Rose and Young Mary lines of Shorthorns. Benjamin Van Meter served as the first vice president of the American Shorthorn Association and influenced its foundation.
Van Meter also established a prominent Thoroughbred horse operation in Lexington, Kentucky, producing 1901 Kentucky Derby winner, His Eminence.
Did You Know?
Van Meter's Lexington horse farm produced the 1901 Kentucky Derby winner.