John C. Merriam
Encyclopedia
John Campbell Merriam was an American
paleontologist. The first vertebrate
paleontologist on the West Coast of the United States, he is best known for his taxonomy
of vertebrate fossil
s at the La Brea Tar Pits
in Los Angeles
, particularly with the genus Smilodon
, more commonly known as the sabertooth cat.
the son of the postmaster and proprietor of a general store. As a young man, he began collecting Paleozoic
invertebrate
fossils near his Iowa
home. He received a bachelors degree from Lenox College
in Iowa, then went to the University of California
to study geology
and botany
under Joseph Le Conte. He later went to Munich
, Germany
to study under the famous paleontologist Karl von Zittel. In 1894 he returned to the U.S. and joined the faculty at the University of California, teaching and performing research in both vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology
.
In 1901 one of his lectures on paleontology inspired the young Annie Montague Alexander
, who financed and took part in his expedition that year to Fossil Lake in Oregon
. Alexander, who went on to a lifelong career as a paleontological benefactress, financed his subsequent expeditions to Mount Shasta
in 1902 and 1903, as well as his famous 1905 Saurian Expedition
to the West Humboldt Range
in Nevada
. During this expedition Merriam unearthed 25 specimens of ichthyosaur
, many of them considered the finest every found.
In 1912 he was appointed chairman of the Department of Paleontology at the University of California. That same year he began his famous studies of vertebrates at the La Brea Tar Pits. He and his students categorized many of the vertebrate fossils found at the site. The smilodon was later established as the California state fossil
.
In 1918 he co-founded the Save-the-Redwoods League
, which began significant preservation efforts after Merriam traveled the Redwood areas of Humboldt County, California
in 1922 seeking to spare its old-growth the effects of logging he witnessed in Redwood forests closer to San Francisco.
In 1920 he was appointed dean of faculties, but he left that same year to become president of the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C.
. He departure caused the university to combine the Paleontology Department with the Geology
Department, angering Merriam's benefactress, Annie Alexander, who subsequently founded and endowed the university's Museum of Paleontology
. As the head of Carnegie Institution, Merriam's administrative duties led to a reduction in his research for the rest of his career. He accomplishments as president included helping advance the educational programs of the National Park Service
, as well as helping to preserve the California redwoods.
Merriam was a founding member of the Galton Society and cautious political supporter of eugenics
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
paleontologist. The first vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
paleontologist on the West Coast of the United States, he is best known for his taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
of vertebrate fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s at the La Brea Tar Pits
La Brea Tar Pits
The La Brea Tar Pits are a cluster of tar pits around which Hancock Park was formed, in the urban heart of Los Angeles. Asphaltum or tar has seeped up from the ground in this area for tens of thousands of years. The tar is often covered with water...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, particularly with the genus Smilodon
Smilodon
Smilodon , often called a saber-toothed cat or saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This saber-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch .-Etymology:The nickname "saber-tooth" refers...
, more commonly known as the sabertooth cat.
Biography
He was born in Hopkinton, IowaHopkinton, Iowa
Hopkinton is a city in Delaware County, Iowa, United States. The population was 681 at the 2000 census.-History:The city is the former home of Lenox College, a small school that closed in 1944. The old campus is still maintained as a museum.-Geography:...
the son of the postmaster and proprietor of a general store. As a young man, he began collecting Paleozoic
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
fossils near his Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
home. He received a bachelors degree from Lenox College
Lenox College
Lenox College was a college in Hopkinton, Iowa that operated from 1859 until its closure in 1944. The institution was initially known as Bowen Collegiate Institute. The name was changed to Lenox Collegiate Institute in October 1864 and to Lenox College in 1884.-History:The school was affiliated...
in Iowa, then went to the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
to study geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
under Joseph Le Conte. He later went to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to study under the famous paleontologist Karl von Zittel. In 1894 he returned to the U.S. and joined the faculty at the University of California, teaching and performing research in both vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
.
In 1901 one of his lectures on paleontology inspired the young Annie Montague Alexander
Annie Montague Alexander
Annie Montague Alexander was an American philanthropist and paleontological collector. She established the University of California Museum of Paleontology , Museum of Vertebrate Zoology , and financed their collections as well as a series of paleontological expeditions to the western United States...
, who financed and took part in his expedition that year to Fossil Lake in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Alexander, who went on to a lifelong career as a paleontological benefactress, financed his subsequent expeditions to Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...
in 1902 and 1903, as well as his famous 1905 Saurian Expedition
Saurian Expedition of 1905
The Saurian Expedition of 1905 was a noted paleontological research mission in northern Nevada in the United States. The expedition recovered many of the finest specimens of ichthyosaur ever found.The expedition was led by Prof. John C...
to the West Humboldt Range
West Humboldt Range
The West Humboldt Range is a short mountain range in the western Great Basin in northwestern Nevada in the United States. It runs for approximately 40 mi southwest to northeast in northern Churchill County and southern Pershing County...
in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. During this expedition Merriam unearthed 25 specimens of ichthyosaur
Ichthyosaur
Ichthyosaurs were giant marine reptiles that resembled fish and dolphins...
, many of them considered the finest every found.
In 1912 he was appointed chairman of the Department of Paleontology at the University of California. That same year he began his famous studies of vertebrates at the La Brea Tar Pits. He and his students categorized many of the vertebrate fossils found at the site. The smilodon was later established as the California state fossil
State fossil
Most American states have made a state fossil designation, in many cases during the 1980s. It is common to designate one species in which fossilization has occurred, rather than a single specimen, or a category of fossils not limited to a single species....
.
In 1918 he co-founded the Save-the-Redwoods League
Save-the-Redwoods League
The Save the Redwoods League is an organization dedicated to the protection of the remaining Coast Redwood trees in the state of California. It was founded in 1918 by Frederick Russell Burnham, Madison Grant, John C. Merriam, and Henry Fairfield Osborn....
, which began significant preservation efforts after Merriam traveled the Redwood areas of Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623...
in 1922 seeking to spare its old-growth the effects of logging he witnessed in Redwood forests closer to San Francisco.
In 1920 he was appointed dean of faculties, but he left that same year to become president of the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. He departure caused the university to combine the Paleontology Department with the Geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
Department, angering Merriam's benefactress, Annie Alexander, who subsequently founded and endowed the university's Museum of Paleontology
University of California Museum of Paleontology
The University of California Museum of Paleontology is a paleontology museum located on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley....
. As the head of Carnegie Institution, Merriam's administrative duties led to a reduction in his research for the rest of his career. He accomplishments as president included helping advance the educational programs of the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, as well as helping to preserve the California redwoods.
Merriam was a founding member of the Galton Society and cautious political supporter of eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
.
External links
- UCSB: John Campbell Merriam
- UCMP: John C. Merriam
- Guide to the John Campbell Merriam Papers at The Bancroft Library