Dairy dynasty loses Roger Jessup

Marshall Allen

GLENDALE -- Dr. Roger V. Jessup, veterinarian, dairyman and son of

former Los Angeles County Supervisor Roger V. Jessup, died Aug. 3 at his

home in Glendale.

Jessup, 80, enjoyed an active life including hunting, skiing and

tennis until the first of five open-heart surgeries forced him to slow

down. He died of congestive heart failure.

Jessup was born in Glendale on April 18, 1921, the son of Roger

Wolcott and Marguerite Rice Jessup, who founded Jessup Farms in 1919. It

grew and became the largest privately owned dairy in the United States,

and one of only 26 dairies to produce Certified Milk.

Known to his family and friends as Vince, Jessup graduated from Hoover

High School in Glendale, attended USC and graduated from Oregon State

University in 1943 with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture. He was a

member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at USC and OSU, an

affiliation shared by his father and brother, Web. Jessup went to

veterinary school at Colorado A&M; (now Colorado State University), in

Fort Collins, and was awarded a Doctorate of Medicine degree in 1947.

Jessup established a program to halt “hardware disease” in cattle by

implanting large magnets in cows’ stomachs to prevent consumed bailing

wire from puncturing the stomach. With his brother, Jessup started Jessup

Breeders, a program for the artificial insemination of cattle. More than

200,000 cows were bred annually, contributing to a significant increase

in milk and beef production across the U.S. and Japan.

One of six children, Jessup is survived by his sister, Editha Reed of

Nine Mile Falls, Wash., and brother Bert of Morgan Hill, Calif. and his

wife, Dr. Cheryl Langworthy of Thousand Oaks. In addition, Jessup leaves

five children from his first marriage: daughters Jan of Wilmington,

Dele., and Georgia of Santa Monica, and sons Don of Stockton and Rich and

Ken, both of Glendale.

Jessup’s life was celebrated at a private memorial service on Aug. 18.

Contributions in his name can be made to the Ducks Unlimited Conservation

Endowment, c/o Jon Rich, One Waterfowl Way, Memphis, TN 38120.