Sir John Neish Ritchie FRSE FZS PRCVS CB LLD (19 January 1904–28 September 1977) was a 20th-century Scottish veterinarian who rose to the top of his profession.
[1] He was born in Turriff in north-east Scotland on 19 January 1904 the youngest son of Annie Watson and her husband, John Neish Ritchie, a general merchant.
[2] After a period in private practice he joined the staff of the Department of Agriculture in 1938 and rose to be Chief Veterinary Officer in 1952.
[3] He was created a Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1955 and knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the 1961 New Year Honours.
In 1965 he was appointed Principal of the Royal Veterinary College in London holding the post until retiral in 1970.