W. Gifford Hoag (1909 - 1991)

Inducted: 1982

Giff Hoag’s commitment to communication and understanding among all cooperatives greatly enhanced the cooperative movement. For 41 years he served the Farm Credit Administration, editing News for Farmer Cooperatives and later writing histories of the Farm Credit System and the Banks for Cooperatives. He not only communicated about cooperatives, but also joined them and served in leadership capacities. He served on the boards of consumer goods, farm supply, housing, health and telecommunications cooperatives. In 1966, he outlined a proposal for a consumer cooperative bank. More than a decade later, he played a key role in drafting a bill and devising a strategy for its enactment by the U.S. Congress to create the National Cooperative Bank.