Alfred Marshall Bailey
Encyclopedia
Alfred Marshall Bailey was an American
ornithologist
who was associated with the Denver Museum of Natural History
(now the Denver Museum of Nature and Science)
in Colorado
for most of his working life.
Bailey was born in Iowa City, Iowa
, where he went to school and then attended the University of Iowa
. While a student there he participated in a three-month scientific expedition to Laysan
, one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
.
in New Orleans (1916–1919). From 1919 to 1921 he was involved in surveying south-eastern Alaska
for the Bureau of Biological Survey (later to become the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
), followed by a curatorial stint at the Denver Museum (1921–1926). From 1926 to 1927 he was on the staff of the Field Museum of Natural History
in Chicago, during which period he took part in an expedition to the Semien Mountains
of Ethiopia
. From 1927 to 1936 he was Director of the Chicago Academy of Sciences
.
, Siberia
, Mexico
, Pacific
islands, and New Zealand
’s subantarctic
Campbell Island
. He was also a popularizer of science
and a skilled photographer, producing the Denver “Museum Pictorial” series of booklets, and contributing articles to magazines such as National Geographic and Natural History
.
Formal recognition of Bailey’s achievements include:
Bailey died in Denver at the age of 84. He is honoured in the scientific name of the Sierra Madre Sparrow
(Xenospiza baileyi), collected by him in Mexico and described by Outram Bangs
in 1931, as well as in the name of Bailey's Shrew
(Crocidura baileyi) of which he collected the type specimen in Ethiopia, to which it is endemic. He is commemorated in the name of the Denver Museum’s Alfred M. Bailey Library & Archives.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ornithologist
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
who was associated with the Denver Museum of Natural History
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a municipal natural history and science museum in Denver, Colorado. It is a resource for informal science education in the Rocky Mountain region. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help museum visitors learn about the natural history of...
(now the Denver Museum of Nature and Science)
in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
for most of his working life.
Early years
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
, where he went to school and then attended the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. While a student there he participated in a three-month scientific expedition to Laysan
Laysan
Laysan , located northwest of Honolulu at N25° 42' 14" W171° 44' 04", is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It comprises one land mass of , about 1 by 1.5 miles in size . It is an atoll of sorts, although the land completely surrounds a shallow central lake some above sea level that has...
, one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small islands and atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest of the islands of Kauai and Niihau. They are administered by the U.S. state of Hawaii except Midway Atoll, which has temporary residential facilities and is...
.
Career
After graduation in 1916, Bailey served as curator of birds and mammals at the Louisiana State MuseumLouisiana State Museum
The Louisiana State Museum , founded in New Orleans in 1906 and still headquartered there, is a complex of National Historic Landmarks housing thousands of artifacts and works of art reflecting Louisiana's legacy of historic events and cultural diversity....
in New Orleans (1916–1919). From 1919 to 1921 he was involved in surveying south-eastern Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
for the Bureau of Biological Survey (later to become the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
), followed by a curatorial stint at the Denver Museum (1921–1926). From 1926 to 1927 he was on the staff of the Field Museum of Natural History
Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It sits on Lake Shore Drive next to Lake Michigan, part of a scenic complex known as the Museum Campus Chicago...
in Chicago, during which period he took part in an expedition to the Semien Mountains
Semien Mountains
The Semien Mountains lie in northern Ethiopia, north east of Gondar. They are a World Heritage Site and include the Semien Mountains National Park. The mountains consist of plateaux separated by valleys and rising to pinnacles...
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. From 1927 to 1936 he was Director of the Chicago Academy of Sciences
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum - The Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences is a nature museum located in Chicago, Illinois. The museum, which opened in a new facility in October 1999, is located at the intersection of Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park. The museum focuses on...
.
Denver Museum
Bailey returned to the Denver Museum as Director in 1936, a position he served in for over thirty years, eventually retiring in 1969 at the age of 75. He was a proponent of fieldwork, over the years leading or taking part in several further expeditions to various parts of the world, including the ArcticArctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
, Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
islands, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
’s subantarctic
Subantarctic
The Subantarctic is a region in the southern hemisphere, located immediately north of the Antarctic region. This translates roughly to a latitude of between 46° – 60° south of the Equator. The subantarctic region includes many islands in the southern parts of the Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and...
Campbell Island
Campbell Island, New Zealand
Campbell Island is a remote, subantarctic island of New Zealand and the main island of the Campbell Island group. It covers of the group's , and is surrounded by numerous stacks, rocks and islets like Dent Island, Folly Island , Isle de Jeanette Marie, and Jacquemart Island, the latter being the...
. He was also a popularizer of science
Popular science
Popular science, sometimes called literature of science, is interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is broad-ranging, often written by scientists as well as journalists, and is presented in many...
and a skilled photographer, producing the Denver “Museum Pictorial” series of booklets, and contributing articles to magazines such as National Geographic and Natural History
Natural History (magazine)
Natural History is an American natural history magazine. The stated mission of the magazine is to promote public understanding and appreciation of nature and science.- History :...
.
Honours
- 1941 – FellowFellowA fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ship of the American Ornithologists' UnionAmerican Ornithologists' UnionThe American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders... - 1944 – Doctor of ScienceDoctor of ScienceDoctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
, Norwich UniversityNorwich UniversityNorwich University is a private university located in Northfield, Vermont . The university was founded in 1819 at Norwich, Vermont, as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. It is the oldest of six Senior Military Colleges, and is recognized by the United States Department of... - 1954 – DoctorDoctorateA doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
of Public Service, University of DenverUniversity of DenverThe University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings.... - 1961 – Malcolm Glenn Wyer Award for distinguished service in adult education
- 1967 – Regis CollegeRegis CollegeRegis College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts and sciences college located in Weston, Massachusetts. Founded as a women’s college in 1927, Regis became co-educational in 2007.-History:...
Civis Princeps Award
Bailey died in Denver at the age of 84. He is honoured in the scientific name of the Sierra Madre Sparrow
Sierra Madre Sparrow
The Sierra Madre Sparrow , also known as Bailey's Sparrow, is an endangered, range-restricted, enigmatic American sparrow. It is endemic to Mexico and is threatened with extinction through habitat loss.-Etymology:...
(Xenospiza baileyi), collected by him in Mexico and described by Outram Bangs
Outram Bangs
Outram Bangs was an American zoologist.Bangs was born in Watertown, Massachusetts and studied at Harvard from 1880 to 1884...
in 1931, as well as in the name of Bailey's Shrew
Bailey's Shrew
The Bailey's Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. The name honours American naturalist and museum director Alfred Marshall Bailey.-Distribution and habitat:...
(Crocidura baileyi) of which he collected the type specimen in Ethiopia, to which it is endemic. He is commemorated in the name of the Denver Museum’s Alfred M. Bailey Library & Archives.
Publications
Among some 200 publications authored or coauthored by Bailey are:- 1948 – Birds of arctic Alaska. Popular Series 8, Colorado Museum of Natural History
- 1950 – Nature photography with miniature cameras. Museum Pictorial 1, Denver Museum of Natural History.
- 1952 – Laysan and black-footed albatrosses. Museum Pictorial 6, Denver Museum of Natural History.
- 1953 – The Red Crossbills of Colorado. Museum Pictorial 9, Denver Museum of Natural History. (With R. J. Niedrach and A. Lang Baily).
- 1954 – Canton Island. Museum Pictorial 10, Denver Museum of Natural History. (With R. C. MurphyRobert Cushman MurphyRobert Cushman Murphy was an American ornithologist and former Lamont curator of birds for the American Museum of Natural History....
and R. J. Niedrach). - 1955 – Birds of New Zealand. Museum Pictorial 11, Denver Museum of Natural History.
- 1956 – Birds of Midway and Laysan Island. Museum Pictorial 12, Denver Museum of Natural History
- 1962 – Subantarctic Campbell Island. Proceedings 10, Denver Museum of Natural History. (With J. H. Sorensen).
- 1965 – Birds of Colorado. (2 vols). Denver Museum of Natural History. (With R. J. Niedrach).
- 1971 – Field Work of a Museum Naturalist: 1919-1922, Alaska-Southeast, Alaska-Far North. Museum Pictorial 22, Denver Museum of Natural History