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Richard Archbold (April 9, 1907 – August 1, 1976) was an American
zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...
and
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
. He was independently wealthy, being the grandson of the capitalist
John Dustin Archbold John Dustin Archbold (July 26, 1848 – December 6, 1916) was an American businessman and one of the United States' earliest oil refiners. His small oil company was bought out by John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. Archbold rose rapidl ...
. He was educated at private schools, and later attended classes at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
though he never graduated. He used his share of his family's wealth first to sponsor a series of biological expeditions to
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...
for the
American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 int ...
, and later to establish, maintain and endow a biological research station in Florida. In 1929, Archbold joined the ranks of members of the
Explorers Club The Explorers Club is an American-based international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904, and has served as a meeting point fo ...
in New York.


Madagascar expedition

In 1928 Archbold was invited to participate in a Franco-British-American zoological expedition to
Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...
(1929–1931), led by
Jean Delacour Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...
, on which he was responsible for mammal collecting. The American component of this expedition was funded by his father, John F. Archbold, with the proviso that his son be included. It was on this expedition that Archbold first met
Austin L. Rand Austin Loomer Rand (16 December 1905 – 6 November 1982) was a Canadian zoologist. He was born in Kentville, Nova Scotia in 1905 and grew up in nearby Wolfville, where he was mentored by the noted local ornithologist Robie W. Tufts. He received a ...
, the expedition ornithologist, who became a long-term research collaborator and lifelong friend. It was also during the course of this expedition that he learned of the death of his father.


New Guinea expeditions

In the 1930s, inspired and encouraged by
Ernst Mayr Ernst Walter Mayr (; 5 July 1904 – 3 February 2005) was one of the 20th century's leading evolutionary biologists. He was also a renowned taxonomist, tropical explorer, ornithologist, philosopher of biology, and historian of science. His ...
, Archbold financed (and personally led the first three of) a series of major biological expeditions to
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...
. In these expeditions, the principal zoologist (and often co-leader) was Austin Rand, and the principal botanist Leonard Brass.


1933–34 expedition

The first Archbold expedition to New Guinea took place in south-eastern New Guinea, covering an altitude range from sea-level to
alpine tundra Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets ...
. This used conventional equipment, pack animals, and human carriers. Logistical problems and limitations started Archbold thinking about the use of aircraft for future expeditions, as well as radio for communications.


1936–37 expedition

The second Archbold expedition to New Guinea took place from February 1936 to January 1937 in southern New Guinea, chiefly at and near
Daru Daru is the capital of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea and a former Catholic bishopric. Daru town falls under the jurisdiction of Daru Urban LLG. The township is entirely located on an island that goes by the same name, which is loc ...
, along the
Fly Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...
and Palmer Rivers and in the
Wassi Kussa The Wassi Kussa River is a river in southwestern Papua New Guinea. Wassi Kussa Riverin Geonames.org (cc-by) post updated 2012-01-17; database downloaded 2015-06-22 See also *List of rivers of Papua New Guinea This is a list of rivers of Papua Ne ...
area. The expedition used radio as well as a
Fairchild 91 The Fairchild 91, (a.k.a. A-942), was a single-engine eight-passenger flying boat airliner developed in the United States in the mid-1930s.Taylor, Michael J.H. . ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation”. Studio Editions. London. 1989. Design Fairchi ...
amphibian flying boat; however, the loss of the aircraft at anchor at
Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...
during a tropical storm limited the amount of work done.


1938–39 expedition

The third and most ambitious Archbold expedition to New Guinea took place from April 1938 to May 1939 in Netherlands New Guinea, concentrating on the north slope of the
Snow Mountains The Sudirman Range, also known as the Snow Mountains,"Sudirman Mountains (Snow Mountains)". Papua Insects Foundation. Accessed 5 August 2021/ref> Dugunduguoo, or Nassau Range is a mountain range in Central Papua province, Indonesia. It is named a ...
, from Mt Wilhelmina to the
Idenburg River The Taritatu or Idenburg River also called Baliem River is a river in the northern part of the Indonesian province of Papua. It is the largest tributary of Mamberamo River with a total length of . Name During the Dutch colonial era it was known ...
(a tributary of the
Mamberamo River The Mamberamo (''Indonesian: Sungai Mamberamo'') is the second longest river on the island of New Guinea, after Sepik River (1,146 km) and third largest in Oceania by discharge (5,500 m3/s) volume after Fly River (7,500 m3/s) and Sepik (7,00 ...
), making collections at altitudes from near sea-level to over 4,000 m at the upper limit of vegetation. Piloted by Russell R. Rogers, the expedition used a PBY-1 Catalina
flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fuselag ...
(named ''Guba II''), that could land on suitable lakes and rivers, to provide supplies to the expedition, as well as performing other duties such as aerial reconnaissance and photography. It was through an aerial reconnaissance flight early in the expedition that the discovery was made, on 23 June 1938, of the hitherto unknown, though densely populated,
Baliem Valley The Baliem Valley ( id, Lembah Baliem; also spelled Balim and sometimes known as the Grand Valley) is a valley of the Central Highlands in Western New Guinea. Specifically in Highland Papua, Indonesia, which is inhabited mainly by the Dani peo ...
, home to the Dani people. A Dutch soldier on board the Guba named the valley Groote Vallei, or Grand Valley, and Archbold declared that would be its name. In August 1938, Archbold dispatched two exploration teams, each consisting of Dutch soldiers, convicts, and Dayak porters, into the
Baliem Valley The Baliem Valley ( id, Lembah Baliem; also spelled Balim and sometimes known as the Grand Valley) is a valley of the Central Highlands in Western New Guinea. Specifically in Highland Papua, Indonesia, which is inhabited mainly by the Dani peo ...
. One team led by Captain C.G.J. Teerink started at one end of the valley, while the other, led by Lieutenant J.E.M. Van Arcken, started at the other end with the goal of meeting in the middle of the valley. On August 10, 1938, an incident occurred near the valley's center resulting in the death of a Dani tribesman.


Pioneer flight over the Indian Ocean

Towards the conclusion of the expedition in 1939, with Archbold intending to return to the USA across the Pacific, he was contacted by Captain P.G. Taylor, representing
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
n interests which, with war impending, wanted to determine the practicality of an air route from Australia to Europe over the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...
and via Africa rather than Asia. It appeared that ''Guba II'' was the only suitable aircraft for the job at short notice. As Archbold was amenable to the project, his aircraft was effectively chartered for the crossing by the Australian government (which paid for fuel and other provisions used during the flight) and his flying crew augmented by Taylor as navigator. The intended flight path across the Indian Ocean was from
Port Hedland, Western Australia Port Hedland ( Kariyarra: ''Marapikurrinya'') is the second largest town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with an urban population of 14,320 Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. at June 2018 including the satellite town of So ...
to the
Cocos (Keeling) Islands ) , anthem = "''Advance Australia Fair''" , song_type = , song = , image_map = Australia on the globe (Cocos (Keeling) Islands special) (Southeast Asia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands , map_caption = ...
,
Diego Garcia Diego Garcia is an island of the British Indian Ocean Territory, a disputed overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is a militarised atoll just south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean, and the largest of the 60 small islands of ...
, the
Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...
and
Mombasa, Kenya Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
. Apart from the initial leg of the flight, when the plane was forced, after leaving Port Hedland, to detour via Batavia (now
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...
) because of bad weather, the flight was made without major problems. In Mombasa, Taylor left the crew to return to Australia and Archbold continued the flight westwards, landing in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in July 1939.


Archbold Biological Station

With the outbreak of
war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
in the Pacific, the series of expeditions to New Guinea came to a halt, and in 1941 Archbold established the
Archbold Biological Station The Archbold Biological Station (ABS) is a research institute with a surrounding estate near Lake Placid, Florida, USA. It includes an extensive area of Florida scrub, a scientifically interesting and highly threatened ecosystem. It was establ ...
at Lake Placid,
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
, where he lived the rest of his life. The station was established on land donated by John A. Roebling II.Lohrer, Fred E
"John A. Roebling, II (1867–1952), Builder of the Red Hill Estate (1929–1941), Lake Placid, Florida"
Archbold Biological Station The Archbold Biological Station (ABS) is a research institute with a surrounding estate near Lake Placid, Florida, USA. It includes an extensive area of Florida scrub, a scientifically interesting and highly threatened ecosystem. It was establ ...
, October 2, 2006, last updated July 17, 2017. Accessed October 24, 2018.
There were four further Archbold-financed expeditions to New Guinea after the war, but Archbold did not personally participate in them.


References


Further reading

* Archbold, R.; & Rand, A.L. (1935). ''Summary of the 1933–1934 Papuan Expedition''. Results of the Archbold Expeditions. No.7. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 68 (8): 527-579. * Archbold, R.; Rand, A.L.; & Brass, L.J. (1942). ''Summary of the 1938–1939 New Guinea Expedition''. Results of the Archbold Expeditions. No.41. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 79 (3): 197-288. * Morse, R. (2000). ''Richard Archbold and the Archbold Biological Station''. University Press of Florida: Gainesville. * Rand, A.L. (1977). Obituary: Richard Archbold, 1907–1976. ''Auk'' 94: 186-187. * Rand, Austin L. (1940). ''Summary of the 1936–1937 New Guinea Expedition''. Results of the Archbold Expeditions. No.29. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 77 (7): 341-380.


External links


Archbold Biological Station
{{DEFAULTSORT:Archbold 1907 births 1976 deaths 20th-century American zoologists 20th-century American philanthropists American explorers Columbia University alumni New Guinea expeditions People associated with the American Museum of Natural History American expatriates in Madagascar American expatriates in Papua New Guinea