William André Elfer

Born in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, in 1882, William André Elfer is known today for Breeding Minks in Louisiana for Their Fur: A Profitable Industry, published in New Orleans in 1909. In the book's preface, he says it grew out of his own experiments and was meant to show that mink breeding could become a worthwhile business in Louisiana.

The book blends observation, husbandry advice, and salesmanship. Elfer writes about the habits of American minks, methods for keeping and breeding them, and the commercial possibilities of fur farming at a time when wild fur-bearing animals were becoming scarcer.

Reliable biographical information about his wider life and career is limited in the sources found during this search. Genealogical records indicate that he was born on November 17, 1882, and died on March 27, 1972.