Ratledge College of Chiropractic (1908 - 1954)

By Editorial Staff

Founded in 1908 in Oklahoma by Toulius de Florence Ratledge, D.C. (a graduate of the Carver/Denny School), the Ratledge College of Chiropractic played a very significant role in shaping the chiropractic profession on the West Coast. The college was moved to Los Angeles in 1911, and faculty and graduates were subsequently instrumental in eliciting the grass roots support which resulted in the 1922 referendum which introduced chiropractic licensure in the state.

The college's early faculty included none other than D.D. Palmer (1911-1913). Among the distinguished graduates of Ratledge College are Paul Smallie, D.C. (class of 1935; editor of the World-Wide Report), and Ted L. Shrader, D.C. (class of 1940), long-time secretary of the ACA Council on Technic. The school was purchased by the Cleveland family in the early 1950s, and continues as the Cleveland Chiropractic College of Los Angeles.

Ratledge College is the focus of a historical investigation by faculty of the Palmer College of Chiropractic/West. The project, which is internally supported by Palmer/West and externally supported in part by the National Institute of Chiropractic Research, will explore the activities of the college and its graduates in California.

Ratledge College graduates and friends who would like to be interviewed or can contribute Ratledge College information or artifacts (e.g., photographs, diplomas, books, catalogs, journals, correspondence, etc.) should contact Drs. Brown or Keating at Palmer College/West:

Palmer College of Chiropractic/West,
1095 Dunford Way,
Sunnyvale CA 94087
(408) 983-4000