FFA History

Presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon speaks at the National FFA Convention. Nixon is elected U.S. president the following month.

FFA opens membership to females, making it possible for them to hold office and participate in competitive events at regional and national levels. Ken Dunagan from Arizona is named the first American Star in Agribusiness. The Washington Conference (now Washington Leadership Conference — WLC) begins. The delegate body of the National FFA Convention establishes alumni class of membership as part of the constitution.

The First National Congress of Vocational Agriculture Students assembles for a National Livestock Judging Contest at the American Royal Livestock and Horse Show in Kansas City, Mo.

Former President Harry S. Truman spoke during the national convention.

H.O. Sargent, a federal agent for agricultural education for African Americans at the U.S. Office of Education, and G.W. Owens, a teacher-trainer at Virginia State College, write the first constitution and bylaws for the New Farmers of Virginia, an organization for African-American agriculture students. The organization holds its first state rally that same year.

The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis presented NFA with a Certificate of Appreciation.

Official FFA Creed, written by E.M. Tiffany, is adopted. Edward Drace from Missouri wins the first National Public Speaking event. First Official Dress uniform is adopted: dark blue shirt, blue or white pants, blue cap and yellow tie. Delegates restrict FFA membership to boys only.

Blue corduroy jacket is adopted as Official Dress. A group of FFA officers and members make a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., where they are greeted on the White House lawn by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

NFA is founded as a national organization at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. David Simmons of Alabama is elected as the first national NFA president. Active FFA membership exceeds 100,000 members.

During the National FFA Convention, action is taken to establish a national FFA camp and leadership training school in Washington, D.C.