Ladd, Edwin Fremont, 1859–1925, American chemist and political leader, b. Somerset co., Maine. From 1890 to 1916 he was dean of the school of chemistry and pharmacy at the North Dakota Agricultural College (now North Dakota State Univ.) and later (1916–21) was president of the college. He served (1902–21) as food commissioner of North Dakota; his campaign against adulterated food products and his efforts to protect the farmers from speculators and distributors brought him national prominence. With the support of the Nonpartisan League, he was elected (1920) to the U.S. Senate and thereafter was associated with the farm bloc. For his support of Robert M. La Follette in the presidential campaign of 1924 he was expelled from the Republican party.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies
