Tarleton Hoffman Bean
Encyclopedia
Tarleton Hoffman Bean was an American
ichthyologist, born at Bainbridge, Pennsylvania
on 8 October 1846. He died in Albany, New York
on 28 December 1916.
, Washington, DC, 1876. Awarded M.S. degree from Indiana University in 1883 on the basis of his professional accomplishments, although he did not attend classes there. Married Laurette H. van Hook, daughter of John Welsh VanHook, a local Washington businessman. in 1878 in Washington, DC. One daughter, Caroline van Hook Bean (noted artist, later married to Bernardus Blommers, Jr.), was born in Washington on 16 November 1879.
in Battery Park
, 1895–1898; Acting Curator of Fishes, American Museum of Natural History
, 1897; Director of Fishery and Forestry exhibits, [Universal Exposition], Paris, France, 1900; Chief, Departments of Fish and Game and Forestry, Louisiana Purchase Exposition
, St. Louis, Missouri
, 1904; Fish Culturist, New York State, 1906–1916.
in southern Pennsylvania, he surely had an early introduction to fishes, but his initial interest was botany, perhaps stimulated by his acquaintance with J. T. Rothrock, a versatile physician-scientist who had a medical practice in Wilkes-Barre but also had taught botany at Pennsylvania State College. His conversion to ichthyology probably began in the summer of 1874, when he worked as a volunteer at the Fish Commission laboratory in Noank, CT. There he first met Spencer F. Baird and a number of the young scientists who had gathered around him. First among these was George Brown Goode
, who with Bean would form one of the most famous collaborative teams in ichthyology. Bean spent the next two decades in Washington working for Baird’s two institutions, the National Museum and the Fish Commission, in a number of capacities. He left Washington in 1895 to become the Director of the New York Aquarium, but political problems led to his resignation in 1898. He spent most of the next eight years working on the fisheries and forestry exhibits at the world’s fairs in Paris (1900) and St. Louis (1904). In 1906 he became New York’s state fish culturist, a position he held until his death in 1916 following an automobile accident.
Tarleton Bean is probably best known for the work in systematic ichthyology that he did while in Washington, particularly in collaboration with Goode. The pair wrote 39 papers together, culminating in Oceanic Ichthyology (1896). They were the beneficiaries of the extensive survey and collecting activities being done by Fish Commission vessels in the poorly explored deep waters off the coast of North America. Bean was also an authority on the fishes of Pennsylvania, New York, Bermuda, and Alaska. Most of his later papers dealt with fish culture, and at the time of his death he was considered the nation’s premier authority on that subject. He was also a dedicated educator, from his early teaching days in Pennsylvania to his work on the great international exhibitions and his many popular articles and lectures on fishes, forestry, and conservation. Bean was a pioneer in the growth of American ichthyology in the post-Civil War years and by the end of his life was one of its most respected and honored members.
The genus Tarletonbeania of lanternfish
es was named after him by Rosa Smith Eigenmann
and Carl H. Eigenmann
in 1890.
Species named after him include:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ichthyologist, born at Bainbridge, Pennsylvania
Bainbridge, Pennsylvania
Bainbridge, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community located in Conoy Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with a zip code of 17502. Bainbridge is located along Pennsylvania Route 441....
on 8 October 1846. He died in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
on 28 December 1916.
FAMILY AND EDUCATION
Son of George Bean and Mary Smith Bean. Attended State Normal School at nearby Millersport, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1866. Received M.D. degree from Columbian University, now George Washington UniversityGeorge Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
, Washington, DC, 1876. Awarded M.S. degree from Indiana University in 1883 on the basis of his professional accomplishments, although he did not attend classes there. Married Laurette H. van Hook, daughter of John Welsh VanHook, a local Washington businessman. in 1878 in Washington, DC. One daughter, Caroline van Hook Bean (noted artist, later married to Bernardus Blommers, Jr.), was born in Washington on 16 November 1879.
PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS
Principal, Smyrna Seminary in Delaware, 1869-1870; Principal, Wilkes-Barre High School in Pennsylvania, 1870–1874; Assistant in Ichthyology, Smithsonian Institution, 1878; Curator of Fishes, U. S. National Museum, 1879–1888; Ichthyologist, U. S. Fish Commission, 1888–1892; Honorary Curator of Fishes, U. S. National Museum, 1889–1905; Assistant in Charge of Fish Culture, U. S. Fish Commission, 1892-1895; Director, New York AquariumNew York Aquarium
The New York Aquarium is the oldest continually operating aquarium in the United States, having opened in Castle Garden in Battery Park, Manhattan in 1896. Since 1957, it has been located on the boardwalk in Coney Island, Brooklyn. The aquarium is managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society as...
in Battery Park
Battery Park
Battery Park is a 25-acre public park located at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City, facing New York Harbor. The Battery is named for artillery batteries that were positioned there in the city's early years in order to protect the settlement behind them...
, 1895–1898; Acting Curator of Fishes, 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...
, 1897; Director of Fishery and Forestry exhibits, [Universal Exposition], Paris, France, 1900; Chief, Departments of Fish and Game and Forestry, Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
, St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, 1904; Fish Culturist, New York State, 1906–1916.
CAREER AND CONTRIBUTIONS
Tarleton Bean had a remarkably diverse and productive career. In addition to his work in ichthyology, he was a forester, a fish culturist, a conservationist, an editor, an administrator, and an exhibitor. Growing up along the Susquehanna RiverSusquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
in southern Pennsylvania, he surely had an early introduction to fishes, but his initial interest was botany, perhaps stimulated by his acquaintance with J. T. Rothrock, a versatile physician-scientist who had a medical practice in Wilkes-Barre but also had taught botany at Pennsylvania State College. His conversion to ichthyology probably began in the summer of 1874, when he worked as a volunteer at the Fish Commission laboratory in Noank, CT. There he first met Spencer F. Baird and a number of the young scientists who had gathered around him. First among these was George Brown Goode
George Brown Goode
George Brown Goode , was an ichthyologist, although most of his time was spent as a museum administrator and he was very interested in the history of science, especially the history of the development of science in America. Goode graduated from Wesleyan University and studied at Harvard University...
, who with Bean would form one of the most famous collaborative teams in ichthyology. Bean spent the next two decades in Washington working for Baird’s two institutions, the National Museum and the Fish Commission, in a number of capacities. He left Washington in 1895 to become the Director of the New York Aquarium, but political problems led to his resignation in 1898. He spent most of the next eight years working on the fisheries and forestry exhibits at the world’s fairs in Paris (1900) and St. Louis (1904). In 1906 he became New York’s state fish culturist, a position he held until his death in 1916 following an automobile accident.
Tarleton Bean is probably best known for the work in systematic ichthyology that he did while in Washington, particularly in collaboration with Goode. The pair wrote 39 papers together, culminating in Oceanic Ichthyology (1896). They were the beneficiaries of the extensive survey and collecting activities being done by Fish Commission vessels in the poorly explored deep waters off the coast of North America. Bean was also an authority on the fishes of Pennsylvania, New York, Bermuda, and Alaska. Most of his later papers dealt with fish culture, and at the time of his death he was considered the nation’s premier authority on that subject. He was also a dedicated educator, from his early teaching days in Pennsylvania to his work on the great international exhibitions and his many popular articles and lectures on fishes, forestry, and conservation. Bean was a pioneer in the growth of American ichthyology in the post-Civil War years and by the end of his life was one of its most respected and honored members.
Eponymy
Lanternfish
Cooper Lanternfishes are small mesopelagic fish of the large family Myctophidae. One of two families in the order Myctophiformes, the Myctophidae are represented by 246 species in 33 genera, and are found in oceans worldwide. They are aptly named after their conspicuous use of bioluminescence...
es was named after him by Rosa Smith Eigenmann
Rosa Smith Eigenmann
Rosa Smith Eigenmann was the first notable female ichthyologist; first publishing in her own right, she later collaborated with her husband Carl H. Eigenmann, and some 150 species of fish are today credited "Eigenmann & Eigenmann" as a result.She was born in Monmouth, Illinois, the last of nine...
and Carl H. Eigenmann
Carl H. Eigenmann
Carl H. Eigenmann was an ichthyologist who, along with his wife Rosa Smith Eigenmann, described many of the fishes of North America and South America for the first time....
in 1890.
Species named after him include:
- Naked sand darter, Ammocrypta beanii JordanDavid Starr JordanDavid Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
, 1877. - Atherinella beani (Meek & Hildebrand 1923).
- Green guapote, Cichlasoma beani (JordanDavid Starr JordanDavid Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
, 1889). - Ctenolucius beani (Fowler, 1907).
- Ophidion beanii JordanDavid Starr JordanDavid Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
& Gilbert, 1883. - Plectromus beanii (Günther, 1887).
- Deepwater dabDeepwater dabThe deepwater dab, Poecilopsetta beanii, is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a bathydemersal fish that lives on bottoms at depths of . It can reach in length...
, Poecilopsetta beanii (GoodeGeorge Brown GoodeGeorge Brown Goode , was an ichthyologist, although most of his time was spent as a museum administrator and he was very interested in the history of science, especially the history of the development of science in America. Goode graduated from Wesleyan University and studied at Harvard University...
, 1881). - Bean's searobin, Prionotus beanii GoodeGeorge Brown GoodeGeorge Brown Goode , was an ichthyologist, although most of his time was spent as a museum administrator and he was very interested in the history of science, especially the history of the development of science in America. Goode graduated from Wesleyan University and studied at Harvard University...
, 1896. - Scopelogadus beanii (Günther, 1887).
- Bean's sawtoothed eel, Serrivomer beanii GillTheodore GillTheodore Nicholas Gill was an American ichthyologist, mammalogist, malacologist and librarian.Born and educated in New York City under private tutors, Gill early showed interest in natural history. He was associated with J...
& Ryder, 1883.