Henry Edward Crampton (January 5, 1875 – February 26, 1956) was an American
evolutionary biologist and
malacologist who specialized in
land snail
A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells (those without shells are known as ...
s. Crampton undertook the first major study of evolution in nature in his research in the Society Islands. Crampton made twelve separate expeditions over the course of his career to
Moorea
Moorea ( or ; Tahitian: ), also spelled Moorea, is a volcanic island in French Polynesia. It is one of the Windward Islands, a group that is part of the Society Islands, northwest of Tahiti. The name comes from the Tahitian word , meaning " ...
near
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
to study the
land snail
A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells (those without shells are known as ...
genus ''
Partula'', while years more were spent measuring and cataloguing his specimens. In all, he dedicated nearly half-a-century to the study. Crampton taught as a professor at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
and
Barnard College
Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...
from 1904 to 1943. He also worked as a curator at the
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...
.
Early life
Henry Edward Crampton Jr. was born on January 5, 1875, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
to Dorcas Matilda (née Miller) and Henry Edward Crampton, a surgeon in New York City.
He attended the
College of the City of New York and graduated from
Columbia College (later Columbia University) in 1893.
He received his
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...
from Columbia in 1899.
Career
After graduating in 1893, Crampton became an assistant in biology at Columbia University. He stayed in that role until 1895, when he became an instructor of biology at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
.
The following year, 1896, he returned to Columbia as a lecturer.
Crampton became a faculty member at
Barnard College
Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...
in 1899. By 1904, Crampton became a professor of
zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
at Barnard College and
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. He served as acting provost at Barnard in 1918 and 1919.
He remained a professor until 1943.
Crampton was the curator of invertebrate zoology at the
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...
.
Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould (; September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was one of the most influential and widely read authors of popular science of his generation. Gould sp ...
has cited Crampton as an inspiration, both for his evolutionary observations on ''
Partula'', and the enormous dedication and effort required to undertake them. He was also the inspiration for future work on ''
Partula'' by
Bryan Clarke, James Murray and Michael Johnson. This research was central to much of the development of the science of genetics. He also worked at the
Carnegie Institute's Station for Experimental Evolution at
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and
Bishop Museum
The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1889, it is the lar ...
in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
.
Crampton's monographs remain some of the most remarkable publications on any species, for their meticulous detail and the beautiful illustrations they contain. His work on the Society Islands species was never finished, his monographs covering only those of
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
and
Moorea
Moorea ( or ; Tahitian: ), also spelled Moorea, is a volcanic island in French Polynesia. It is one of the Windward Islands, a group that is part of the Society Islands, northwest of Tahiti. The name comes from the Tahitian word , meaning " ...
. The volumes on
Huahine,
Raiatea
Raiatea or Ra'iatea ( Tahitian: ''Ra‘iātea'') is the second largest of the Society Islands, after Tahiti, in French Polynesia. The island is widely regarded as the "centre" of the eastern islands in ancient Polynesia and it is likely that the ...
,
Tahaa
Taha’a (sometimes spelled as "Tahaa") is an island located among the western group, the Leeward Islands, of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The islands of Taha’a and neighboring R ...
and
Bora Bora were never finished. This work is being revived, and the centenary of his first volume (Tahiti in 1916) is to be marked by the publication of a new monograph on all the Partulidae.
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Crampton worked with
Hollis Godfrey
Hollis Godfrey (1874 – January 17, 1936) was an American writer, teacher, engineering consultant, and president of the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry.
Early life and education
Hollis Godfrey was born in 1874 in Lynn, Massachuset ...
to organize the
Council of National Defense
The Council of National Defense was a United States organization formed during World War I to coordinate resources and industry in support of the war effort, including the coordination of transportation, industrial and farm production, financial s ...
, and served as the vice chairman of the Committee on Engineering and Education.
He also served as president of the
New York Academy of Sciences and as secretary of the
American Eugenics Society. He was also a member of the
Washington Academy of Sciences
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
,
New York Zoological Society,
American Society of Naturalists and
The Explorers Club.
In 1929, he received an honorary degree in science from Columbia.
Personal life and death
Crampton married Marian Maud Tully on October 27, 1896, in New York City. Together, they had two children: Henry and Ann. Henry E. Crampton Jr. married Harriet Jessup, the granddaughter of Reverend Jessup, founder of the
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...
.
Crampton died on February 26, 1956, at
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.
Selected bibliography
* Crampton H. E. 1916
''The Doctrine of Evolution Its Basis and Its Scope'' New, York, Columebia University Press.
* Crampton H. E. 1916. ''Studies on the variation, distribution and evolution of the genus Partula. The species inhabiting Tahiti.''
Carnegie Institution of Washington, 228: 1-311.
* Crampton H. E. 1925
''Studies on the variation, distribution and evolution of the genus Partula. The species of the Mariana Islands, Guam and Saipan.''Carnegie Institution of Washington, 228a: 1-116.
*
Cooke C. M. & Crampton H. E. (1930) "New species of ''Partula''". ''B. P. Bishop. Mus. Occ. Papers'' 9: 3-5.
* Crampton H. E. 1932
''Studies on the variation, distribution and evolution of the genus Partula. The species inhabiting Moorea.''Carnegie Institution of Washington, 410: 1-335.
References
* Gould, Stephen Jay
993
Year 993 ( CMXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Spring – The 12-year-old King Otto III gives the Sword of Saints Cosmas and Damian ...
(2007) "Unenchanted Evening," ''
Eight Little Piggies.'' Vintage Books.
Finding aid to the Henry Crampton papers at Columbia University.
External links
*
*
Henry E. Crampton Papers on the genus Partula, Drexel UniversityHenry E. Crampton correspondence, 1915 - 1949, Johns Hopkins Libraries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crampton, Henry
1875 births
1956 deaths
Scientists from New York City
Columbia College (New York) alumni
Columbia University faculty
Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty
People associated with the American Museum of Natural History
Bishop Museum
American paleontologists
Evolutionary biologists
American malacologists
American eugenicists
Council of National Defense