Purdue celebrates 'Father of the FDA,' Indiana's Harvey Wiley, at the state fair

Harvey Wiley

"Harvey Wiley is best known for his role in securing the law that established the agency we now call the Food and Drug Administration," said Murray Blackwelder, Purdue's senior vice president for advancement. "He led the way to the landmark legislation of the Food and Drug Act in 1906, but he was a leader long before then. He was the first Purdue chemistry professor and Indiana's first state chemist. He leaves a great legacy to Purdue University, the state of Indiana and the nation."

An invitation-only "all-American picnic" highlighting Wiley's contributions to Purdue and to his field will take place in the hospitality tent at the Indiana State Fair. Representatives from the FDA and Purdue's colleges of Science, Pharmacy, and Consumer and Family Sciences will attend, and Purdue President Martin C. Jischke will speak.

"Harvey Wiley led the way to many of the protections we take for granted today," said Suzanne Junod, a senior historian for the FDA. "The FDA protects against misbranding and adulteration, or what we refer to as 'what you can say and what you can put in' consumer products."

These products include food, drugs, vaccines, cosmetics, medical devices, radiation-emitting devices like televisions and microwaves, and veterinary products.

"Wiley wedded science to regulation and helped establish regulatory agencies to serve the public," said Rodney Noel, interim Indiana State Chemist. "Without such agencies at both the state and federal level, there would be the potential for big problems. There is always the potential for a company that would sell bad products or compromise the safety and quality of a product to save money."

The Office of Indiana State Chemist, based at Purdue, protects the public and the environment, he said. The office is responsible for the safety of seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, pet food, farm animal feed and antibiotics for animals.

"In some ways, what we do today is very similar to what was done in Wiley's time," he said. "We still send people into the field to take samples and analyze the safety and quality of products. Of course, today we have a much larger staff and several labs."

Harvey Washington Wiley was born in Kent, Ind., in 1844. He graduated from Hanover College and taught at Northwestern Christian University, today known as Butler University. He later studied medical science at Harvar