John I. Hardy (1888-1955) was an animal fiber technologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was well-known for his research on animal fibers related to the feeding, breeding, and management of sheep, goats, and other domestic animals. He also conducted research on the manufacturing and utility of fibers. Born in Groveland, Massachusetts on May 16, 1888, he received his B.S. from Rhode Island State College in 1910. He was awarded an M.S. in 1914 from the University of Tennessee and his doctorate in 1917 from the University of Missouri. Dr. Hardy worked for the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station from 1911 to 1915. In 1917 he worked at the University of Wyoming at Laramie doing investigations on wool. From 1920-1923 he worked for the Albany Felt Company testing wool scouring solutions, soaps and other chemicals used in the industrial process. He joined the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal Husbandry in 1919 for one year and returned to that post in 1923 to remain until his retirement in 1951. In 1930-1931 he spent a leave of absence in England and Germany on a wool research fellowship for the National Research Council. He invented a number of devices for quick and accurate determination of such qualities as firmness, shape, length, and surface structure of fibers in order to judge their suitability for industrial purposes. He also worked out a process for determining grease and dirt in wool. Dr. Hardy wrote a number of scientific papers. He was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Animal Production and the honorary fraternity, Sigma Xi. In 1948 he was awarded the U.S.D.A. Distinguished Service Award. These papers were given to ATHM in 1970 by Dr. Thora Plitt Hardy. Of particular interest is the correspondence which deals not only with professional colleagues but also the Department of Agriculture projects.