Leader in agriculture for the USDA and general manager of the National Western Stock Show.
1882-1955 | Artist: Othmar J. Hoffler (1893-1954)
Impact & Accomplishments
Son of a long-time Utah congressman, John Thomas Caine III earned degrees at the Agricultural College of Utah and Iowa State College and headed the Animal Husbandry Department at Utah State from 1906 to 1914.
He gained experience at stockyards and packing operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Europe, before being appointed to the United States Department of Agriculture in 1918. In Washington, he oversaw animal husbandry in fifteen western states and then served as chief of the Packers and Stockyards Administration.
In 1928, Caine joined the Chicago Union Stock Yards as a public relations representative and livestock superintendent. His last position, held for twelve years, was general manager of the National Western Stock Show in Denver, where he was employed when inducted into the Saddle & Sirloin Club.
Did You Know?
"Men like John Caine and the great Willard Simms managed the show with an iron hand," said Jean Gravell, longtime horse show exhibitor. "They were disciplined and organized in getting people and animals together."
During Caine's leadership, the Westernaires (a mounted precision drill organization composed of Denver-area youngsters from 9 to 19 years of age) made their first annual appearance at the National Western's Rodeo in 1954 and this tradition continues to this day.