Hugh McCormick Smith, also H. M. Smith (November 21, 1865 – September 28, 1941) was an American ichthyologist and administrator in the United States Bureau of Fisheries.

Biography

Smith was born in

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In 1888, he received a

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

; then, in 1908, a

Doctor of Law A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL ...

from the Dickinson School of Law at Dickinson College. He began working for the United States Fish Commission (formally, the United States Commission on Fish and Fisheries) in 1886 as an assistant. He directed the scientific research center there from 1897 to 1903. From 1901 to 1902, he directed the

Marine Biological Laboratory The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is an international center for research and education in biological and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution that was independent ...

at Woods Hole,

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. At the same time, he was on the faculty at Georgetown, teaching medicine from 1888 to 1902 and

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vi ...

from 1895 to 1902. From 1907 to 1910, Smith led the scientific party aboard the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries (successor organization of the U.S. Fish Commission) research ship during her two-and-a-half-year expedition to the

Philippine Islands The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. He was an associate editor of the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, an ...

from 1909 to 1919. He was the author of many articles and publications, both popular and scientific, about

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

. With Charles Haskins Townsend he wrote '"The Pacific Salmons'" section of ''Trout and Salmon'' (New York: Macmillan, 1902), a volume of

Caspar Whitney Caspar William Whitney (September 2, 1864 – January 18, 1929) was an American author, editor, explorer, outdoorsman and war correspondent. He originated the concept of the All-American team in college football in 1889 when he worked for '' Harp ...

's prestigious American Sportsman's Library. Smith was deputy commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries from its formation in 1903 until 1913 and then its commissioner from 1913 to 1922. After he was pressured to resign that position, he moved to

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

during the reign of King Rama VI and was the first director general of Thailand′s Department of Fisheries, during the reign of the King Rama VII (1926). Smith moved back to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in 1933 and was

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

zoology 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 ...

at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

until his death in Washington, D.C. in 1941. US FWS Hugh M

Commemoration

*The research vessel , which operated in the fleet of the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

from 1949 to 1959, was named in honor of Smith.''Commercial Fisheries Review'', March 1949, p. 35.
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Taxon named in his honor

*The Southeast Asian fish '' Homalopteroides smithi '' was named after him.

Taxon described by him

*See :Taxa named by Hugh McCormick Smith

References

External links

* *
Biographical Sketch: Hugh M. Smith
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Hugh McCormick 1865 births 1941 deaths Dickinson School of Law alumni American ichthyologists Georgetown University School of Medicine alumni United States Bureau of Fisheries personnel