James Edmund Oldfield joined the faculty of Oregon State College upon completion of his Ph.D. in 1951 and served as Professor of Animal Husbandry (and later Animal Sciences) until his retirement in 1985. He was Department Head of Animal Sciences from 1967 to 1983.
Oldfield specialized in the study of animal nutrition and is credited with discovering the role of selenium in eliminating white muscle disease in sheep and other ruminants. He is considered a leader in the study and eradication of white muscle disease (WMD). Oldfield also conducted extensive research on nutritionally induced fur defects in mink, for which he was elected to the Fur Industry Hall of Fame. Oldfield was nominated Distinguished Professor at OSU in 1969 and received the 1998 Klaus Schwarz Award, presented to a scientist or team of scientists who have contributed to biological trace element research. He remained active as a researcher and advocate of further selenium study during his retirement.
Oldfield earned his B.S.A. (1941) and M.S.A. (1949) degrees at the University of British Columbia and his Ph.D. from Oregon State College in 1951.
From the guide to the James E. Oldfield Papers, 1951-2010, 1957-2002, (Oregon State University Special Collections & Archives Research Center)
