Leonard Cutler Sanford
Encyclopedia
Leonard Cutler Sanford was an American
surgeon
and amateur
ornithologist
who served as a trustee of the American Museum of Natural History
for nearly thirty years and who was instrumental in building up its bird collections
.
. He graduated from Yale University
and pursued a successful career as a surgeon. However, his main interest throughout his life was ornithology. He became an Associate of the American Ornithologists' Union
in 1902, and a Life Associate in 1919.
by persuading philanthropist Frederick F. Brewster of New Haven to finance it. The Brewster-Sanford Expedition
, headed by Rollo Beck
, took place from 1912 to 1917 and produced a large number of specimens, providing the basis for studies resulting in the publication of Robert Cushman Murphy
’s two-volume “Oceanic Birds of South America”.
Sanford was also instrumental in establishing the long-term relationship between philanthropist Harry Payne Whitney
and the museum, which first saw Whitney financing the Whitney Memorial Wing of the museum, which housed the department of birds there. Subsequently Whitney sponsored the extensive Whitney South Seas Expedition
, which lasted from 1921 to 1932, making biological and anthropological collections
through Micronesia
, Polynesia
and Melanesia
. Even after Whitney’s death in 1930, Sanford persuaded his widow, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
, and children to acquire for the museum the huge bird collection, of some 280,000 specimens, of Lord Rothschild
’s private museum at Tring
in England
.
Sanford died in 1950 at his winter home in Florida
. He is commemorated in the names of Sanford's Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus sanfordi), Sanford's Bowerbird
(Archboldia sanfordi), and Sanford's Brown Lemur
(Eulemur sanfordi).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
and amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
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 served as a trustee of the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
for nearly thirty years and who was instrumental in building up its bird collections
Bird collections
Bird collections are curated repositories of scientific specimens consisting of birds and their parts. They are a research resource for ornithology, the science of birds, and for other scientific disciplines in which information about birds is useful...
.
Early years
Sanford was born in New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. He graduated from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and pursued a successful career as a surgeon. However, his main interest throughout his life was ornithology. He became an Associate of the American Ornithologists' Union
American Ornithologists' Union
The 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...
in 1902, and a Life Associate in 1919.
American Natural History Museum
Although Sanford was elected a trustee of the museum in February 1921, his association with the institution had begun much earlier. As well as acquiring many specimens of rare and extinct species for the museum’s collection, he instigated a major collecting expedition to South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
by persuading philanthropist Frederick F. Brewster of New Haven to finance it. The Brewster-Sanford Expedition
Brewster-Sanford Expedition
The Brewster-Sanford Expedition was an ornithological collecting expedition which procured specimens, principally of South American seabirds, for the collections of the American Museum of Natural History. It was initiated by Dr Leonard Cutler Sanford and financially supported by Frederick F....
, headed by Rollo Beck
Rollo Beck
Rollo Howard Beck was an American ornithologist, bird collector and explorer. Beck's Petrel is named after him.-Early years:...
, took place from 1912 to 1917 and produced a large number of specimens, providing the basis for studies resulting in the publication of Robert Cushman Murphy
Robert Cushman Murphy
Robert Cushman Murphy was an American ornithologist and former Lamont curator of birds for the American Museum of Natural History....
’s two-volume “Oceanic Birds of South America”.
Sanford was also instrumental in establishing the long-term relationship between philanthropist Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney was an American businessman, thoroughbred horsebreeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family.- Early years :...
and the museum, which first saw Whitney financing the Whitney Memorial Wing of the museum, which housed the department of birds there. Subsequently Whitney sponsored the extensive Whitney South Seas Expedition
Whitney South Seas Expedition
The Whitney South Seas Expedition to collect bird specimens for the American Museum of Natural History , under the initial leadership of Rollo Beck, was instigated by Dr Leonard C. Sanford and financed by Harry Payne Whitney, a thoroughbred horse-breeder and philanthropist.Beck, an expert bird...
, which lasted from 1921 to 1932, making biological and anthropological collections
Collection (museum)
A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, replaceable and less exhibition oriented...
through Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
, Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
and Melanesia
Melanesia
Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
. Even after Whitney’s death in 1930, Sanford persuaded his widow, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City...
, and children to acquire for the museum the huge bird collection, of some 280,000 specimens, of Lord Rothschild
Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild FRS , a scion of the Rothschild family, was a British banker, politician, and zoologist.-Biography:...
’s private museum at Tring
Tring
Tring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Sanford died in 1950 at his winter home in 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...
. He is commemorated in the names of Sanford's Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus sanfordi), Sanford's Bowerbird
Sanford's Bowerbird
The Sanford's Bowerbird, Archboldia sanfordi is a black bowerbird with a reddish-brown iris, grey feet and black bill. The male has a golden crest extending from forehead, blackish wing and long tail. Both sexes are alike...
(Archboldia sanfordi), and Sanford's Brown Lemur
Sanford's Brown Lemur
Sanford's brown lemur , or Sanford's lemur, is a species of prosimian primate in the Lemuridae family. The Sanford's brown lemur was previously considered a subspecies of the common brown lemur but as of 2005 many of the brown lemurs have been elevated to a full species status...
(Eulemur sanfordi).