The Entomological Society of Washington was organized on February 29, 1884 at a meeting called by three

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

s employed by the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

Charles Valentine Riley Charles Valentine Riley (18 September 1843 – 14 September 1895) was a British-born American entomologist and artist. He was one of the first individuals to use biological pest control and authored over 2,400 publications. He convinced Congress ...

, Eugene Amandus Schwarz, and

Leland Ossian Howard Leland Ossian Howard (June 11, 1857 – May 1, 1950) was a pioneer American entomologist who worked in the US Department of Agriculture. Serving as the chief of the bureau of entomology, a successor to C.V. Riley, he helped establish economic ent ...

, in Riley's home in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Ashley B. Gurney. 1976. A Short History of the Entomological Society of Washington. ''Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington'', 78(3):225-239. Meetings have been held regularly since 1884. Several local locations were used as meeting places after it became impractical to hold meetings in members' homes, including the Washington Saengerbund Hall, the

Cosmos Club The Cosmos Club is a 501(c)(7) private social club in Washington, D.C. that was founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878 as a gentlemen's club for those interested in science. Among its stated goals is, "The advancement of its members in science, ...

, and the

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. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...

of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. The official seal of the society was adopted at the society's November 2, 1893 meeting''Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington'' 3:83. and first appeared in March 1894.Herring, J. L. (Editor) 1964. The official seal of the Entomological Society of Washington. ''Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington'' 66:1. The insect featured in the seal is a winged male ''Rheumatobates rileyi'' Bergroth (

Hemiptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order (biology), order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, Reduviidae, assassin bugs, Cimex, bed bugs, and shield bugs. ...

Gerridae The Gerridae are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders, water skeeters, water scooters, water bugs, pond skaters, water skippers, or water skimmers. Consistent with the classification of the Gerridae as tr ...

), a

water strider The Gerridae are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders, water skeeters, water scooters, water bugs, pond skaters, water skippers, or water skimmers. Consistent with the classification of the Gerridae as tr ...

about 7 mm long including outstretched legs. Early members included

, Eugene Amandus Schwarz,

, August Busck,

Adam Giede Böving Adam Giede Böving (July 31, 1869 – March 16, 1957) was a Danish-American entomologist and zoologist. He was a specialist in the study of the larvae of the order Coleoptera and the author of a series of descriptions on their early stages of d ...

Charles Henry Tyler Townsend Charles Henry Tyler Townsend (5 December 1863 – 17 March 1944) was an American entomologist specializing in the study of tachinids (Tachinidae), a large and diverse family of flies ( Diptera) with larvae that are parasitoids of other insects. ...

Nathan Banks Nathan Banks (April 13, 1868 – January 24, 1953) was an American entomologist noted for his work on Neuroptera, Megaloptera, Hymenoptera, and Acarina (mites). He started work on mites in 1880 with the USDA. In 1915 he authored the first comp ...

Lawrence Bruner Lawrence Bruner (March 2, 1856 in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania – January 30, 1937 in Berkeley, California) was a United States entomologist. Biography Bruner's parents emigrated to West Point, Nebraska when Bruner was a child. While growing up ...

George Marx George Marx (June 22, 1838 – January 3, 1895) was a German-born American arachnologist, scientific illustrator and physician. He was regarded as one of the foremost authorities on spiders and highly regarded for his superb scientific illustrati ...

Frederick Knab Frederick Knab (September 22, 1865 – November 2, 1918) was an artist and entomologist active from the 1880s through the 1918, most noted for his oil paintings and illustrations and his work with coleopterous and dipterous insects. Knab was ...

Albert Koebele Albert Koebele (28 February 1853 - 28 December 1924) was an economic entomologist and a pioneer in the use of biological controls to manage insect pests. Early career Koebele was born in Waldkirch, Germany, in 1853. There are no details about ...

Clara Southmayd Ludlow Dr. Clara Southmayd Ludlow (1852–1924) was an American entomologist, the first woman known to publish extensively on the taxonomy of mosquitoes and their occurrence in relation to the incidence of mosquito-borne diseases. She forged a notable c ...

Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. (February 14, 1866 – January 21, 1929) was an American entomologist. Dyar's Law, a pattern of geometric progression in the growth of insect parts, is named after him. He was also noted for eccentric pursuits which includ ...

, and others. As greater numbers of women became active in entomology, their contributions have been reflected in the Society's membership and elected officers. In 1966, Louise M. Russell became the first woman to serve as the society's President.Manya B. Stoetzel. 1984. ESW Past-Presidents for the Years 1884 through 1983, Photographs and Support Officers. ''Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington'' 86(1):11-35

Publication

In March 1886, the society began publishing the ''

Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington ''Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of entomology published by the Entomological Society of Washington. The journal was established in 1886 and is currently published four times per year ...

''. Of the dozens of entomological societies that have existed for varying periods,Sabrosky, C. W. 1956. Entomological societies. ''Bulletin of the Entomological Society of America'' 2:1-22. only three in the Americas having continued uninterrupted publication of their periodicals are older than the Entomological Society of Washington.

References

External links

The Entomological Society of WashingtonProceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
{{Authority control Entomological societies Professional associations based in the United States 1884 establishments in Washington, D.C. Organizations established in 1884