Coburn, Foster D., secretary of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, was born in Jefferson county, Wis., May 7, 1846, a son of Ephraim W. and Mary J. (Mulks) Coburn. He received a common school education, and during the Civil war served in the One Hundred and Thirty-fifth and later the Sixty-second Illinois infantry. In 1867 he located in Franklin county, Kan., where he engaged in farming and stock raising. On Sept. 8, 1869, he married Miss Lou Jenkins of that county. In 1882 he was elected secretary of the state board of agriculture, but served only a short time. In 1894 he was again elected secretary of the board and has held the office continuously since that time. Mr. Cohurn has been three times appointed regent of the Agricultural College, and has served both as vice-president and president of the board of regents. He was also president of the State Temperance Union for four terms. For about six years he was editor of the Live Stock Indicator of Kansas City, and he has been expert judge of live stock in numerous fairs and expositions. At the Louisiana Purchase exposition at St. Louis in 1904, he was chief of the live stock department. He is the author of books on Swine Husbandry, Alfalfa, etc., and of some thirty volumes of reports and bulletins which he has issued as secretary. His reports contain much interesting and valuable information regarding the agricultural industry in Kansas.