Founded in 1916 as the Cooperative League of America, the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) is a United States membership organization for cooperatives, businesses that are jointly-owned and democratically-controlled The league's founding president was medical doctor James Peter Warbasse, who served in that role until 1941. In its first few decades, it focused on consumer cooperation, and published a monthly magazine, Co-operation. In 1922, it originated and trademarked the twin pines symbol used to represent North American cooperatives.