| Frank Alexander Wetmore | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 18, 1886 North Freedom, Wisconsin |
| Died | December 7, 1978 (aged 92) Glen Echo, Maryland |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Ornithology Paleontology |
| Institutions | Department of Agriculture Smithsonian Institution |
Frank Alexander Wetmore (June 18, 1886 – December 7, 1978) was an American ornithologist and avian paleontologist.[1][2][3]
Wetmore studied at the University of Kansas. He later studied at George Washington University, receiving his masters degree and doctorate.
Wetmore began federal service in 1910, working for the Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture.
In 1915, he researched the use of lead shot in causing death in waterfowl. His paleontological research led to his work on the fossil birds Palaeochenoides mioceanus and Nesotrochis debooyi.
In 1924, Wetmore joined the Smithsonian Institution as the superintendent of the National Zoological Park in Washington.[4] In 1925, Wetmore was appointed assistant secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, becoming secretary between 1945 and 1952. In 1939 he was elected a Corresponding Member of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
He wrote A Systematic Classification for the Birds of the World (1930, revised in 1951 and 1960). This Wetmore Order received widespread acceptance, remaining popular until the end of the twentieth century.
Between 1946 and 1966 Wetmore made annual trips to Panama to study and collect specimens of the birds of the Isthmus. His 4-volume magnum opus, Birds of the Republic of Panama, was published by the Smithsonian between 1965 and 1984, the last volume appearing posthumously.[5]
He also served on the board of trustees of Science Service, now known as Society for Science & the Public, from 1946-1953.
Several taxa of birds have been named in his honor, including the Cretaceous genus Alexornis and the tanagers Wetmorethraupis sterrhopteron and Buthraupis wetmorei. Insects, mammals, amphibians, mollusks, and one plant (an Argentinian cactus), as well as a bridge in Panama and the Wetmore Glacier in the Antarctic, have also been named after him.[6]
His papers and an oral history interview are held at the Smithsonian Institution.[7]
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