William Hampton Patton (March 10, 1853 – December 26, 1918) was an American

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

Biography

Patton was born on March 10, 1853, at

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Waterbury had a population of 114,403 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. The city is southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury i ...

, to William and Sarah Frances Patton. He graduated from Waterbury High School in 1870 and prepared for college at the

Williston Seminary Williston Northampton School (simply referred to as Williston) is a private, co-educational, day and boarding college-preparatory school in Easthampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1841. History Williston Seminary wa ...

Easthampton, Massachusetts Easthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The city is in the Pioneer Valley, near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst. The population was 16,211 at the 2020 census. History E ...

. He entered

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1872 and received a colloquy appointment during his senior year and graduated in 1876. As a post-graduate, he served as an assistant in zoology to Professor

Addison Emery Verrill Addison Emery Verrill (February 9, 1839 – December 10, 1926) was an American invertebrate zoologist, museum curator and university professor. Life Verrill was born on February 9, 1839, in Greenwood, Maine, the son of George Washington Verril ...

at Yale for two years. Patton worked as a special agent at the

United States Entomological Commission The United States Entomological Commission was established by an Act of Congress in 1877 as a department under the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories headed by Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden. The commission was created ...

Washington, D. C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

from 1879 to 1881. Drawn by Patton's work in the ''Canadian Entomologist'' journal, the U. S. Entomological Commission chairman Dr.

Charles Valentine Riley Charles Valentine Riley (18 September 1843 – 14 September 1895) was a British-born American entomologist and artist. He was one of the first individuals to use biological pest control and authored over 2,400 publications. He convinced Congress ...

hired Patton as an assistant. In his work, Patton specialized in the

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typi ...

order of insects. Patton left his work in Washington to take care of his ill father. When Patton's father died, Patton suffered from a breakdown and started acting strangely, eventually ending up as an inmate at the Hartford Retreat. Patton escaped the asylum in 1882 and showed up in Washington where Dr. Riley tried to give him a job at the U. S. Department of Agriculture. After working there for a few days and Patton started acting strangely again and Dr. Riley and Dr. Howard arranged for Patton to be taken back to the asylum in Hartford. Patton was still allowed to keep an insect collection while in the asylum. Upon the establishment of the State Entomologist office in 1901, Patton wrote a series of letters to its new officeholder, W. E. Britton. The State Entomologist tried to schedule a meeting in Hartford for them to visit. After Patton did not show up, the State Entomologist learned weeks later about Patton's mental instability from Yerrill. Patton died in Hartford on December 26, 1918, as a result of

valvular heart disease Valvular heart disease is any cardiovascular disease process involving one or more of the four valves of the heart (the aortic and mitral valves on the left side of heart and the pulmonic and tricuspid valves on the right side of heart). The ...

and

arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis, literally meaning "hardening of the arteries", is an umbrella term for a vascular disorder characterized by abnormal thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries; this process gradually restricts th ...

. He was interred at Riverside Cemetery in Waterbury, Connecticut. During his lifetime, Patton was a member of the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Associations for the Advancement of Science, the Entomological Society of Ontario, and the

Connecticut Academy of Science Connecticut ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capital is Hartford, and ...

. He was a fellow of the

Entomological Society of London The Royal Entomological Society is a learned society devoted to the study of insects. It aims to disseminate information about insects and to improve communication between entomologists. The society was founded in 1833 as the Entomological S ...

and a charter member of the

Biological Society of Washington Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patton, William Hampton 1853 births 1918 deaths People from Waterbury, Connecticut Scientists from Hartford, Connecticut Yale University alumni American entomologists Hymenopterists