Herbert Richard Axelrod (June 7, 1927 – May 15, 2017) was an American tropical fish expert, a publisher of pet books, and an entrepreneur. In 2005 he was sentenced in U.S. court to 18 months in prison for tax fraud.

Early life

Axelrod was born to a Jewish family in New Jersey, the son of immigrant parents from Russia. His father was a mathematics and violin teacher, and his mother was a civilian employee of the U.S. Navy.

Aquatics and publishing

While serving in an Army MASH unit in Korea, he wrote his book ''The Handbook of Tropical Aquarium Fishes'', which eventually sold more than one million copies. After returning from Korea, Axelrod earned a Ph.D. in

biostatistics Biostatistics (also known as biometry) are the development and application of statistical methods to a wide range of topics in biology. It encompasses the design of biological experiments, the collection and analysis of data from those experime ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

and started the magazine ''

Tropical Fish Hobbyist ''Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''TFH Magazine'') is a bimonthly magazine geared to hobbyist keepers of tropical fish, with news and information on a variety of topics concerning freshwater and marine aquariums. The magazine w ...

''. He wrote many other books on tropical fish and founded a

publishing firm Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

, TFH Publications (named for the magazine) that became the largest publisher of pet books in the world. TFH Publications was headquartered first in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Neptune, New Jersey. ''The New York Times'' has written that "his importance was undeniable. In an era before web forums and Google, collectors turned to ''Tropical Fish Hobbyist'' and Axelrod's dozens of books". In 1956, Leonard P. Schultz described the cardinal tetra, a popular

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

fish, and gave it its

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

, ''Paracheirodon axelrodi'', which honors Axelrod. Although the fish had been discovered in Brazil in 1953 by Harald Sioli, a discus collector, Axelrod claimed that he had made the discovery himself during a steamboat trip on the Rio Negro, and he sent fish that he purchased from a dealer in New Jersey to 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 ...

, where the species was identified. In 1989, Axelrod donated his collection of fossil fish to the

University of Guelph , mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities" , established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922) , type = Public university , chancellor ...

, which the university says is one of the largest donations by an individual to a Canadian university. The Axelrod Institute of Ichthyology at that university was named for him. The University of Guelph also named a lecture hall after him, the Axelrod Building, but in 2010 renamed it the Alexander Building, after

Lincoln Alexander Lincoln MacCauley Alexander (January 21, 1922 – October 19, 2012) was a Canadian lawyer who became the first Black Canadian member of Parliament in the House of Commons, the first Black federal Cabinet Minister (as federal Minister of Labou ...

. In 1997 Axelrod sold TFH Publications to Central Garden & Pet Company of California for $70 million. The contract included potential payouts to Axelrod if TFH reached earnings targets after the sale. He sued under that provision, accusing Central Garden of suppressing earnings to avoid paying the extra money. The following year, however, the purchaser filed a countersuit against him, claiming that he had grossly and illegally inflated the value of the company before the purchase. On September 1, 2005, Axelrod was ordered to pay Central Garden & Pet Company $16.4 million (net, after deducting $3.7 million the company was ordered to pay Axelrod due to earnings targets).

Musical instruments collection

Axelrod, a violinist himself, assembled a large collection of old and rare stringed instruments, including the

Hellier Stradivarius The ''Hellier Stradivarius'' of ''c.'' 1679 is a violin made by Antonio Stradivari of Cremona, Italy. It derives its name from the Hellier family, who might well have bought it directly from the luthier himself. Ownership The ''Hellier Stradivari ...

. In 1975 he bought his first Stradivarius violin. In 1998 he donated four Stradivari instruments — two violins, a viola and a cello — to the

. Known as the

Axelrod quartet Axelrod or Akselrod (variant: Axelrad, meaning "axle wheel") is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Albert Axelrod (1921–2004), American Olympic medalist foil fencer * Barry Axelrod (born 1946), American sports agent * Beth Ax ...

, their value was estimated at $50 million. In February 2003 he sold about 30 other instruments to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO) for $18 million. This collection was estimated to be worth $49 million. (Axelrod was a long-time supporter of the NJSO.)

Further legal difficulties

Questions surfaced about the value of the instruments he had donated to the Smithsonian and the NJSO. Although the instruments were all old and valuable, several unnamed experts determined them not to be the instruments he represented them as, and not to be as valuable as he claimed. He was said to have invented histories for the instruments to explain away doubts or to increase their worth. In an unrelated case, Axelrod was indicted in federal court in New Jersey on April 13, 2004, accused of funneling millions of dollars into

Swiss bank accounts Banking in Switzerland dates to the early eighteenth century through Switzerland's merchant trade and has, over the centuries, grown into a complex, regulated, and international industry. Banking is seen as emblematic of Switzerland, along wit ...

over 20 years without paying taxes. The following April 21, he failed to appear for his arraignment, having fled to Cuba. He was arrested in Berlin on June 15, 2004 as he got off a plane from Switzerland, and then extradited to the United States. On March 21, 2005 he was sentenced in U.S. court to 18 months in prison for tax fraud.

Legacy

For his philanthropy, the

named Axelrod their 1999 Donor of the Year.Gary Sturm
"First Encounters of an Enduring Kind"
Smithsonian Chamber Music Society. Archived 20 June 2017. ''

Axelrodia ''Axelrodia'' is a genus of small characin from the Amazon Basin and Meta River in South America, with three currently described species: * '' Axelrodia lindeae'' Géry, 1973 * '' Axelrodia riesei'' Géry, 1966 (ruby tetra) * '' Axelrodia stigm ...

'', a genus of

characin Characiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. Grouped in 18 recognized families, more than 2000 different species are described, including the well-known piranha and tetras.; Buckup P.A.: "Relationshi ...

from South America, is named for him."Obituary: Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod"
''Practical Fishkeeping'', 30 May 2017. Archived 20 June 2017. A number of fish species are also named for him, including *The cardinal tetra '' Paracheirodon axelrodi'' ( L. P. Schultz, 1956), *The Trinidad tetra ''

Hyphessobrycon axelrodi ''Hyphessobrycon axelrodi'' is a species of tetra in the family Characidae. Named in honor of pet-book publisher Herbert R. Axelrod (1927-2017), who collected the type specimen. Description ''Hyphessobrycon axelrodi'' is a small, iridescent, s ...

'' ( Travassos, 1959), *The black neon tetra ''

Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi The black neon tetra (''Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi'') is a freshwater fish of the characin family (Characidae) of the order Characiformes. It is native to the Paraguay basin of southern Brazil. They are often found in the aquarium trade. Nam ...

'' Géry, 1961, *The pink corydoras catfish '' Corydoras axelrodi'' Rössel, 1962, *The African fish '' Neolebias axelrodi'' Poll & J. P. Gosse, 1963, *The South American characin '' Schultzites axelrodi'' Géry, 1964 which is in a genus all by itself, *The South American characin '' Brittanichthys axelrodi'' Géry, 1965, *The southeast Asian ''

Sundadanio axelrodi ''Sundadanio axelrodi'' is a danionin in the family Cyprinidae, with origin from Borneo, Bangka, and Sumatra. Originally described as a rasbora, ''Rasbora axelrodi'', this tiny species was later deemed to be more closely related to the danios but ...

'' ( Brittan, 1976), *The Lake Malawi cichlid '' Cynotilapia axelrodi'' W. E. Burgess, 1976, *The rainbowfish ''

Chilatherina axelrodi Axelrod's rainbowfish (''Chilatherina axelrodi'') is a species of rainbowfish in the subfamily Melanotaeniinae. It is found in Papua New Guinea in the Yungkiri stream in the north western part of that nation. Typically its preferred habitat is a ...

'' G. R. Allen, 1979, *The blenny ''

Ecsenius axelrodi ''Ecsenius axelrodi'', known commonly as the Axelrod's clown blenny or the Axelrod's combtooth blenny, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Blenniidae, the combtooth blennies. It is found in shallow water on coral reefs in the western c ...

'' V. G. Springer, 1988, *The marine fish '' Pseudogramma axelrodi'' G. R. Allen & D. R. Robertson, 1995, *The Lake Tebera rainbowfish '' Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi'' G. R. Allen, 1981, *The cichlid ''

Parananochromis axelrodi ''Parananochromis'' is a genus of cichlids native to tropical Africa. Species There are currently 8 recognized species in this genus: * '' Parananochromis axelrodi'' Lamboj & Stiassny, 2003 * '' Parananochromis brevirostris'' Lamboj & Stiass ...

'' Lamboj & Stiassny, 2003, *The African '' Labeobarbus axelrodi'' (Getahun, Stiassny & Teugels, 2004), and * A tube-snouted ghost knifefish ''

Sternarchorhynchus axelrodi ''Sternarchorhynchus'' is a genus of ghost knifefishes with a long, decurved snout that are found in river basins in tropical South America. Distribution, habitat and conservation Of the 32 recognized species, more than are restricted to the A ...

'' de Santana & Vari, 2010.

Selected publications

*''Handbook of Tropical Aquarium Fishes'', McGraw-Hill, 1955. *''Saltwater Aquarium Fishes'', TFH Publications, 1987. *''Lovebirds As a New Pet'', TFH Publications, 1990. *''Swordtails and Platies'', TFH Publications, 1991. *''African Cichlids of Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika'', TFH Publications, 1988. *''Aquarium Fishes of the World'', TFH Publications, 1998. *''Dr. Axelrod's Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes'', TFH Publications, 2004.

References

External links

University of Guelph Axelrod Institute of Ichthyology

(2004 interview in Havana by Brian Donohue of the New Jersey ''Star-Ledger'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Axelrod, Herbert R 1927 births 2017 deaths American publishers (people) American ichthyologists 20th-century American Jews American people convicted of tax crimes People from Bayonne, New Jersey 21st-century American Jews