Clinton Hart Merriam

Clinton Hart Merriam (December 5 1855-March 19 1942) was an American zoologist and ornithologist.

Related Topics:
December 5 - 1855 - March 19 - 1942 - American

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He was born in New York City in 1855. His father, Clinton Levi Merriam, was a U.S. congressman. He studied biology and anatomy at Yale University and went on to obtain an M.D. from the School of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in 1879.

Related Topics:
New York City - Yale University - M.D. - Columbia University

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In 1886, he became the first chief of the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy of the United States Department of Agriculture, predecessor to the National Wildlife Research Center and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. He was one of the original founders of the National Geographic Society in 1888. He developed the "life zones" concept to classify biomes found in North America. Later in life, he studied Native American tribes in the western United States.

Related Topics:
United States Department of Agriculture - United States Fish and Wildlife Service - National Geographic Society - Life zone - Biome - North America - Native American

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In 1899, he helped railroad magnate E. H. Harriman to organize an exploratory voyage along the Alaska coastline.

Related Topics:
E. H. Harriman - Alaska

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He died in Berkeley, California in 1942.

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