Charles Torrey Simpson
Encyclopedia
Charles Torrey Simpson was an American botanist, malacologist
, and conservationist. He retired to Florida
where he became known for conservation.
. Although he had little more than a high school education he became well regarded in the field and in 1889 was hired by the Smithsonian Institution
. He went on to work at the National Museum of Natural History
from 1899 to 1902. He was interested mainly in freshwater bivalves and also in land snails of Florida.
, which he estimated he showed to approximately 50,000 people. Though he tended to avoid controversy regarding development, in Ornamental Gardening in Florida, he wrote, "Mankind everywhere has an insane desire to waste and destroy the good and beautiful things this nature has lavished upon him". In 1927 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Miami
.
Malacology
Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology which deals with the study of the Mollusca , the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, octopus and squid, and numerous other kinds, many of which have shells...
, and conservationist. He retired to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
where he became known for conservation.
Scientific work
His initial scientific interesting concerned collecting shells and he began as a conchologistConchology
Conchology is the scientific or amateur study of mollusc shells. Conchology is one aspect of malacology, the study of molluscs, however malacology studies molluscs as whole organisms, not just their shells. Conchology pre-dated malacology as a field of study. It includes the study of land and...
. Although he had little more than a high school education he became well regarded in the field and in 1889 was hired by the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. He went on to work at the National Museum of Natural History
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
from 1899 to 1902. He was interested mainly in freshwater bivalves and also in land snails of Florida.
Life in Florida
In Florida Simpson gained the nickname "The Sage of Biscayne Bay" and wrote several books about tropical plant life around Miami. His backyard contained a tropical hardwood hammockTropical hardwood hammock
Tropical hardwood hammocks are closed canopy forests, dominated by a diverse assemblage of evergreen and semi-deciduous tree and shrub species, mostly of West Indian origin...
, which he estimated he showed to approximately 50,000 people. Though he tended to avoid controversy regarding development, in Ornamental Gardening in Florida, he wrote, "Mankind everywhere has an insane desire to waste and destroy the good and beautiful things this nature has lavished upon him". In 1927 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
.
Further reading
- Johnson, R. I. (1975). "Simpson's unionid types and miscellaneous unionid types in the National Museum of Natural History". Special Occasional Papers, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University 4: 1-56 + 3 plates.
- Rothra E. O. (1995). Florida's Pioneer Naturalist: The Life of Charles Torrey Simpson. University Press of Florida, xv + 232 pp. ISBN 978-0-8130-1374-9, ISBN 0-8130-1374-7
- Malone R. J. (October 1996) "Reviewed work(s): Florida's Pioneer Naturalist: The Life of Charles Torrey Simpson by Elizabeth Ogren Rothra". Environmental History 1(4): 98.
External links
- portrait
- The photo of the house called "The Sentinels", that Simpson have built in Florida
- The MUSSELp Simpson-Haas Index
- works by Charles Torrey Simpson at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...