Jonathan Dwight by John Adams Whipple 1852

Jonathan Dwight V (1858–1929) was an American

ornithologist Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

Life

Jonathan Dwight was born December 8, 1858, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. His father was civil engineer Jonathan Dwight (1831–1910), grandfather Jonathan Dwight (1799–1856), great grandfather Jonathan Dwight (1772–1840), and great-great grandfather also named Jonathan Dwight (1743–1831), all part of the large

New England Dwight family The Dwight family of New England had many members who were military leaders, educators, jurists, authors, businessmen and clergy. Around 1634, John Dwight came with his wife Hannah (1604-1656), daughter Hannah (1625-1714), and sons Timothy (1629 ...

. His mother was Julia Lawrence Hasbrouck. In 1861 the family moved to

Madison, New Jersey Madison is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 16,937, an increase of 1,092 (+6.9%) from the 2010 United ...

. His family had a summer home in

Tadoussac, Quebec Tadoussac () is a village municipality in La Haute-Côte-Nord RCM (Regional County Municipality), on the north shore of the maritime section of the estuary of St. Lawrence river, in Côte-Nord region, Quebec, Canada. Geography Tadoussac is ...

, and his first paper was published in 1879 on the birds observed there. He graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1880, and joined his father in railroad design. He enlisted in the New York National Guard in 1889. After serving in the ambulance corps, he developed an interest in medicine. In 1893 he entered the

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (officially known as Columbia University Roy and Diana Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons) is the medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irvin ...

. He worked for a while in a hospital and private practice, but over time devoted more time to the study of birds. Dwight was a member of the

American Ornithologists' Union The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its ...

since its founding on September 26, 1883. He was treasurer from 1903 to 1920, vice president until 1923, and president to 1926. The

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...

provided a room for his collection in 1909. He married Georgina Gertrude Rundle (daughter of Richard Plaskett Rundle) in 1901; she died January 29, 1903. He married Ethel Gordon Wishart Adam in 1914. Obituary read October 22, 1929. He died of cancer at his home at 43 West 70th Street in New York City on February 22, 1929.

Legacy

After Dwight's death, Fiduciary Trust Company founder Carll Tucker purchased Dwight's collection of ornithology books as a gift for his wife Marcia Brady Tucker, daughter of Anthony N. Brady, a founder of

Union Carbide Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) is an American chemical company headquartered in Seadrift, Texas. It has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company since 2001. Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more f ...

. Marcia Brady Tucker, two-time director of the National Association of Audubon Societies, donated the collection to the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

in 1970.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dwight, Jonathan 1858 births 1929 deaths American ornithologists Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni Harvard University alumni People from Madison, New Jersey People from the Upper West Side Scientists from New York (state)