F. D. Coburn

Foster Dwight Coburn (May 7, 1846 – May 11, 1924) was an American farmer and statesman. He served as secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

Early life and education

He was born Dwight Foster Coburn in Coldspring Township, Jefferson County, Wisconsin in 1846, a son of Ephraim W. and Mary Jane (Mulks) Coburn. He was reared on a farm until the age of 13 years. He received his elementary education in the country schools.

Career

At the age of 18, he enlisted and served during the latter years of the American Civil War in two Illinois regiments—first as corporal in Company F, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth infantry, and subsequently as private and sergeant-major of the Sixty-second veteran infantry. In the winter of 1866, his Army career ended at Fort Gibson. He was by then a Sergeant-Major. After several months he walked across the frozen Missouri river into Kansas to find his former commander. Finally settling in Franklin County, Kansas in 1867. There he took work as a farm hand making $12 a month, and later worked his own farm and bred improved livestock. In addition, He taught at the local school. During this time, he left such an impression that the residents would later insist their new post office be named Coburn. It was during this these early years that he wrote his first book Swine Husbandry and the notoriety this brought would lead him far. His time as secretary of agriculture begins when Joseph K. Hudson, then secretary of Agriculture recruited F. D. to his clerkship and made sure he was his successor.