Esteemed Hereford breeder and secretary of the American Hereford Association for 35 years.
1876- 1952 | Artist: Othmar J. Hoffler (1893-1954)
Impact & Accomplishments
Raised on an Iowa stock and grain farm, Roland J. Kinzer graduated from Iowa State Agricultural College in 1902 and briefly worked there as farm superintendent.
He was the high individual in the second national Intercollegiate Livestock Judging Contest in Chicago, 1902. Kinzer accepted a faculty position at Kansas State Agricultural College, serving for eight years, much of that time as department head. Under his direction, a Kansas State steer won the grand championship at the 1910 International.
In 1911, Kinzer was named secretary of the American Hereford Association, a post he held until 1944. The breed expanded greatly, particularly in the Southern states, under his leadership.
Although the portrait of Kinzer in the collection today is by long-serving painter Othmar Hoffler, the induction materials indicate that Martha Groves McKelvie painted his portrait. The fate of the McKelvie painting is unknown.
Did You Know?
Hereford breeders in 1948 honored Kinzer by calling their part of the American Royal Livestock and Horse Show the "R. J. Hereford Royal."
Scenes at the Casement Barbecue circa 1933. Above, distant view of the crowd being served. Note Kinzer, Anderson, and Mackintosh cutting meat at the tables; a 20-pound piece of the barbecued beef lifted just out of the pit; and the coffee boiling at the right.
Below, a close-up view of the men cutting the beef with Mr. and Mrs. Dan Casement in the
center. Photo credit: The Kansas Agricultural Student October 1933 Kansas State University.