Henry Davis Minot ( ; August 18, 1859 – November 14, 1890) was a

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

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 ...

and railroad executive. Born at his family's estate, Woodbourne in

Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts Jamaica Plain is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of Roxbury, Massachusetts, Roxbury. The community seceded from Roxbur ...

, Minot was the fourth of five sons of William and Katherine Maria (Sedgwick) Minot. He attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1876, where he was friends with classmate

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

, who, like Minot, was interested in

ornithology 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 ...

. In 1877, he published ''The Land Birds and Game Birds of New England'' at the age of seventeen. He left Harvard during his sophomore year. After leaving Harvard he became involved in railroad investments. He traveled extensively and reported on various railroad systems, from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. He become associated with James J. Hill, and at one point, he was the director of the Great Northern Railway. In 1887, he became the president of a new railroad line which connected

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

. He was also involved in a variety of other commercial enterprises, including steamships and streetcars in

Superior, Wisconsin Superior (; ) is a city in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,751 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the western end of Lake Superior in northwestern Wisconsin, the city l ...

Legacy

At age 31, he was killed in a train crash near

New Florence, Pennsylvania New Florence is a borough that is located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 689 as of the 2010 census, which is a decrease from the total of 784 that was recorded by the 2000 census. It is also one of three ...

, on November 14, 1890. The city of

Minot, North Dakota Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 2 ...

(and indirectly, nearby

Minot Air Force Base Minot Air Force Base ( ; ) is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation in Ward County, North Dakota, north of the city of Minot via U.S. Route 83. In the 2020 census, the base was counted as a CDP with a total population of 5 ...

) was named after him, and a park in Massachusetts was dedicated in his honor.

References

External links

Henry Davis Minot papers

American naturalists 1859 births 1890 deaths American ornithologists Harvard College alumni 19th-century American businesspeople People from Jamaica Plain American railroad executives Railway accident deaths in the United States {{1850s-US-business-bio-stub