When Etta Wheeler, a church worker, learned of a girl named Mary Ellen who had been severely abused, she knew she had to act. Determined to rescue the child, Wheeler reached out to Henry Bergh, who had proposed the first piece of anti-cruelty legislation on behalf of animals in 1866.
Recognizing the law's potential application to children who had been abused, Bergh appealed to Elbridge Gerry, ASPCA Legal Counsel. Due to their swift action, Mary Ellen was removed from her abuser's care while the stages of criminal prosecution commenced.
In December of 1874, the first official meeting of the NYSPCC took place at the Christian Association Room on 4th Avenue. During this meeting, officers were elected and a constitution was passed.
In April of 1875, the NYSPCC passed its Act of Incorporation, introducing it to the State Legislature shortly after on April 27th. Its first president was John D. Wright, with Elbridge Gerry and Henry Bergh serving as Vice Presidents.
During the organization’s first year, NYSPCC officials realized the extent to which further legislation needed to be enacted to protect children. The vast majority of child welfare laws that exist today owe their roots to the pioneering legal advocates that fought for children's safety in the late 1800s.
The NYSPCC laid the groundwork for laws protecting children from endangerment, regulating child employment, and prohibiting the sale of firearms and drugs to children, among many others.
Since NYSPCC’s historic founding in 1875: