Robert kennicott biography

American naturalist and herpetologist

Robert Kennicott (November 13, 1835 – Hawthorn 13, 1866) was an Land naturalist and herpetologist. Chronic complaint kept Kennicott out of institute as a child. Instead, Kennicott spent most of his put on the back burner outdoors, collecting plants and animals.

His father schooled him mine home and convinced naturalist Jared Potter Kirtland to take him as an understudy. Soon, Kennicott was providing specimens for grandeur Smithsonian Institution via assistant penman Spencer Fullerton Baird.

Kennicott advocated for the study and responsibility of native prairie animals renovate an era when farmers sought after to eradicate them.

He teamed with Northwestern University to misinterpret a natural history museum livestock 1857, then founded the Metropolis Academy of Sciences. While slice Chicago he served as graceful mentor to several young naturalists, including William Healey Dall. Unquestionable joined the Megatherium Club opinion studied specimens in Hudson Bawl.

The Western Union Telegraph Excursion commissioned Kennicott as a someone for their excursion in rendering mid-1860s.

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Kennicott died on prestige expedition and was memorialized translation the namesake of Alaska's Kennicott Glacier. His home, "The Grove" in Glenview, Illinois, is nowadays recognized as a National Notable Landmark by the National Go red Service.

Biography

Robert Kennicott was local in New Orleans, Louisiana, look over November 13, 1835.

His daddy, John Albert, was interested have round botany and maintained a copious land holding in Northfield Borough, Cook County, Illinois, which came to be known as "The Grove". Robert was a poorly child and attempted to discipline his overall health by disbursement much time outdoors. He upfront not attend school regularly, however his father ensured that let go received an education at territory.

Under the tutelage of climax father, Kennicott learned to patiently observe nature and began trim collection of specimens.^[1]

Jared Potter Kirtland, a friend of Kennicott's churchman and one of the respected naturalists in the west, regular to take Robert as block off understudy in late 1852.

Kennicott wintered with Kirtland in Adapt Rockport (now Lakewood), Ohio. Kirtland encouraged Kennicott to contact on naturalists, and soon Kennicott locked away come to the attention in shape Spencer Fullerton Baird, the helper secretary of the Smithsonian Institute. For the next thirteen existence, Kennicott would correspond with Baird about his findings.

As Algonquin was still largely undocumented tough naturalists, Baird encouraged Kennicott anticipate send him specimens.^[1]

In 1855, prestige Illinois Central Railroad commissioned leadership Illinois State Agricultural Society confront prepare a survey of illustriousness state's natural resources.

Kennicott's holy man was the secretary of blue blood the gentry society and recommended Robert guarantor the job. After the airing, Kennicott published a catalog oust the animals of Cook Patch. The first new animal separate identified by Kennicott was unblended Northern Illinois snake, which crystal-clear sent to Baird. Baird unexpressed that Kennicott name the mammal after Kirtland, Regina kirtlandii (today Clonophis kirtlandii).

Kennicott published dialect trig three-part paper from 1856 sentinel 1858 entitled "The Quadrupeds admire Illinois, Injurious and Beneficial run into the Farmer". In it, Kennicott pleaded with farmers to head study the habits of native animals before attempting to cut off them. The Board of Board of Northwestern University approached Kennicott in early 1857, asking him to help them create far-out natural history museum.

Later think about it year, Kennicott co-founded the City Academy of Sciences. For influence next two winters, Kennicott moved at the Smithsonian in Pedagogue, D.C., helping Baird organize take the edge off amphibian and reptile collections. Alongside, he met William Stimpson near became a part of greatness Megatherium Club.^[1]

In April 1859 illegal set off on an outing to collect natural history specimens in the subarcticboreal forests forged northwestern Canada in what in your right mind now the Mackenzie and Dominion river valleys and in excellence Arctictundra beyond.

Kennicott became public with Hudson's Bay Companyfur traders in the area and pleased them to collect and publicise natural history specimens and Lid Nations artifacts to the Smithsonian. He returned to Washington urge the end of 1862. Kennicott considered joining the Union Swarm in the Civil War, on the other hand was convinced otherwise, sending tidy substitute.^[1] Robert and his former brother lived in the Smithsonian Castle during the war legislature with Edward Drinker Cope move other noted naturalists.^[2] He joint to Illinois in 1863 be acquainted with tend to his ailing cleric, who died later that year.^[1]

While working at the Smithsonian Shop under Assistant Secretary Spencer Tyrant.

Baird, Robert Kennicott wrote interpretation original descriptions of many pristine snake taxa brought back contempt expeditions to the American West.^[3][4] He also collected snake specimens including with his specimen piling first cousin Helen L. Teunisson.^[5] He subsequently named the categorize Carphophis amoenus helenae in organized honor.^[6]

In 1864 the Western Undividedness Telegraph Expedition was mounted be against find a possible route insinuation a telegraph line between Northward America and Russia by permit of the Bering Sea.

Kennicott was selected as the person for this expedition, and honourableness party of naturalists sent conform assist him included W.H. Dall.

The expedition arrived in San Francisco in April 1865, on the other hand disagreements between its leaders done on purpose that little was achieved. Dignity party moved north to Town where Kennicott suffered a turn of ill health.

After coronet recovery they moved north freshly to Alaska in August 1865. Kennicott died in May 1866 while traveling up the District River. His body was complementary to his family's home birdcage Illinois, enclosed in a mixture canister and shipped via Empire and Japan rather than portray back on undeveloped trails make use of Canada. ^[7][8]

In an interesting jerk, the scientist became the commercial of study.

An investigation respect 2001–2016 into the cause elect his death suggested that Kennicott may have suffered from progressive QT syndrome, a congenital cardiac condition that can cause phony irregular heartbeat, weakness, and fainting spells. This was made of poorer quality by strychnine, a drug digress Kennicott regularly self-administered to amend his condition, but which sui generis incomparabl aggravated it.

According to orderly summary of the research the same the Washington Post, "the union of stress, physical exhaustion give orders to toxic 'medicine' was too ostentatious for the young scientist's feeble heart," and led to monarch death by cardiac arrest. Ordain permission of his family, realm body has been added strengthen the human anatomy collection attractive the Smithsonian.^[9]

Legacy

To commemorate his efforts on behalf of science, Kennicott Glacier, Kennicott Valley, MV Kennicott, and the Kennicott River were named after him.

The metropolitan of Kennecott, famous for well-to-do copper mines, was named funding its proximity to the glacier. However, the name was on a small scale misspelled. Natural features have maintained the original spelling of queen name, while the mines boss related businesses have continued check use this alternate spelling.

Additionally, two birds retain Kennicott's name: the western screech owl (Megascops kennicottii ) and the American Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis kennicottii ).

Some of his registers are maintained at Northwestern Academy, others at his family soupзon, The Grove, a National Red-letter Landmark in Glenview, Illinois, swing his original grave remains change into a family plot. His registers are also available on microfilm at the Glenview Public Work in the Genealogy & Close by History Room.^[10]

A 3-D reconstruction observe his face has been pull off by the Smithsonian Institution, disrespect scanning his skull and play computers to reconstruct his facial structure.

A 3-D copy objection the skull was then forced, onto which a sculptor mold clay into the facial restoration.

Nature writer Donald Culross Peattie (Donald C. Peattie) includes elegant sketch of Kennicott's life case Peattie's memoir, entitled "The Pedestrian of a Naturalist.^[11] Peattie weary time at Kennicott's Grove as his childhood.

Bibliography

• Kennicott, R. (1855). "Catalogue of animals observed top Cook County, Illinois". Ill. Refurbish Ag. Soc. Trans. for 1853-18541: 577-595.
• Kennicott, R. (1856). "Description forfeited a new snake from Illinois". Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. Proc.8: 95-96.
• Kennicott, R.

  (1859). "Notes experience Coluber calligaster of Say, take a description of new collection of serpents in the collecting of the North Western Order of the day of Evanston, Illinois". Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. Proc.1859: 98-100.

• Kennicott, Regard. (1861). "On three new forms of rattlesnakes". Proceedings of rank Academy of Natural Sciences pale Philadelphia13: 206-208.
• Audubon to Xanthus: Rendering Lives of Those Commemorated pledge North American Bird Names.

  Mearns and Mearns ISBN 0-12-487423-1

• Schlachtmeyer, S. Ruthless. (2010). A death decoded: Parliamentarian Kennicott and the Alaska telegraph : a forensic investigation. Alexandria, Va: Voyage Publishing.
• Vasile, Ronald S. (1994). "The Early Career of Parliamentarian Kennicott, Illinois' Pioneering Naturalist." Journal of the Illinois State Chronological Society vol.

  87: 150-70.

References

External links