John Tee-Van (July 6, 1897 – November 5, 1967) was an American
ichthyologist
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...
and zoologist. He began his career as an apprentice zookeeper at the
New York Zoological Park
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
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(now the
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...
) and ended it as its General Director.
Biography
Born in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
son of Patrick J. Tee-Van and Wilhelmina Wehnke Tee-Van, John attended school 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 ...
and took courses in zoology at
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 ...
. He began his career at the
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...
in 1911, at the age of 14, as an apprentice keeper in the Bird Department, joining the zoo after the death of his father, who had also been an employee of the zoo.
Career
Work with William Beebe
Tee-Van left his position in the Bird Department in 1917 after Department Curator
William Beebe
Charles William Beebe ( ; July 29, 1877 – June 4, 1962) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, marine biologist, entomologist, explorer, and author. He is remembered for the numerous expeditions he conducted for the New York Zoological S ...
heard that Tee-Van took night classes in architectural drafting and asked him to draw a bird bone. Beebe was so impressed with Tee-Van’s drawing that he immediately made him an assistant in his new department (which was to become the
Department of Tropical Research). For the next 26 years, Tee-Van was a valuable member of Beebe’s famed team, both as a scientific assistant and observer and as a practical organizer. Throughout the expeditions, he prepared and illustrated scientific papers and collaborated with Beebe on ''Field Book of the Shore Fishes of Bermuda'' and the ''Fishes of Port-au-Prince Bay, Haiti''.
Trip to China
In 1941, two young
giant panda
The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes us ...
s were offered by
Madame Chiang Kai-shek, the wife of the Chairman of the Nationalist Government of China, and her sister
Madame H. H. Kung, to the organization United China Relief. The organization promised the pandas to the
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...
, which sent John Tee-Van to bring them back from China. He left on September 25, 1941 on a journey to Chengdu, in southwest China. He was at sea in the Pacific on his return trip with the pandas during the attack on
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
in December of that year but arrived safely in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
a few days after. The pandas made it to the zoo in good health, though there was trouble with procuring bamboo for them along the way. Tee-Van documented his entire journey to China in journals and photographs, and he saved many mementos such as invitations, newspaper clippings, personal letters, and boarding passes.
Work in New York Zoological Society Administration
Having returned to the zoo in 1940 as executive secretary and administrative assistant to the president of the
New York Zoological Society
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
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* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
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(now the
Wildlife Conservation Society
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a non-governmental organization headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, that aims to conserve the world's largest wild places in 14 priority regions. Founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological ...
), Tee-Van became director of the
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...
in 1952, a position he held until 1962. In 1956 he became the general director of both the zoo and the
New York Aquarium
The New York Aquarium is the oldest continually operating aquarium in the United States, located on the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. It was founded at Castle Garden in Battery Park, Manhattan in 1896, and moved ...
.
During his administration at the
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...
, Tee-Van was responsible for gaining Social Security, Hospitalization and Group Life Insurance for the NYZS employees and founded the staff publication Zoo-Log.
In 1961 NYZS presented Tee-Van with its gold medal in recognition of his scientific achievements and service to the Society. In his acceptance speech, Tee-Van said "I want to give my blessings to the millions of animals I have known".
After 50 years, 10 months and 13 days service, John Tee-Van retired from NYZS on July 5, 1962 at the age of 65. Apart from
William Beebe
Charles William Beebe ( ; July 29, 1877 – June 4, 1962) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, marine biologist, entomologist, explorer, and author. He is remembered for the numerous expeditions he conducted for the New York Zoological S ...
, Tee-Van was the only member of staff to ever achieve 50 years of active service at that time. He continued on at the zoo after his retirement, returning to the
Department of Tropical Research to continue his work on fishes.
Expeditions
*1917: British Guiana
*1919-1920: British Guiana
*1921-1922: British Guiana, Trinidad and Venezuela
*1923: Panama and the Galapagos Islands
*1924: British Guiana
*1925: Saragasso Sea, Caribbean to the Galapagos Islands (Arcturus Expedition)
*1926: Europe
*1927: Haiti
*1929-1935: Bermuda Oceanographic Expedition (including Bathysphere descents in 1930, 1932 and 1934)
*1936: West Indies
*1936: Gulf of Lower California (Zaca Expedition)
*1937: Bermuda Oceanographic Expedition
*1937-1938: Gulf of Lower California, coast of Mexico, Central America and Colombia (Zaca Expedition)
*1938-1939: Bermuda Oceanographic Expedition
*1941: Australia and China (brought back 2 giant pandas for the Bronx Zoo from Madame Chiang Kai-shek)
*1946: Venezuela
*1952: Bermuda
*1953 and 1955: European zoos and aquariums
*1956: British Guiana and Trinidad
*1960: Trinidad
*1961: European zoos and aquariums
Other endeavors and achievements
*Became Editor-in-chief of Fishes of the North Atlantic in 1940
*Honorary degree of Doctor of Science from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...
(1955)
Clubs and organizations
*
New York Zoological Society
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
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Music
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* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
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– Fellow in 1934 and Life Member from 1954
*
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences (originally the Lyceum of Natural History) was founded in January 1817 as the Lyceum of Natural History. It is the fourth oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization wit ...
– Fellow in 1936 and Councillor from 1949, Recording Secretary 1952-1953, Vice President and President in 1954
*
International Union Directors of Zoological Gardens – Member from 1953
*Museums Council of New York City – Chairman 1945-1948
*
Century Association
The Century Association is a private social, arts, and dining club in New York City, founded in 1847. Its clubhouse is located at 7 West 43rd Street near Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. It is primarily a club for men and women with distinction ...
– Resident member from 1947
*
The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is an American-based international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904, and has served as a meeting point fo ...
– Active resident member 1925-1953, Member of the Board of Directors 1947-1952, 1954-1956, Third Vice President in 1948, First Vice-President 1949-1950, 18th President 1951-1952, Honorary life member from 1953.
*
Boone & Crockett Club – Associate Member from 1943 and Vice-President 1955-1957
*American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists – Member from 1933, on the Board of Governors 1942-1947 and 1954-1958, Vice President 1951-1954.
* Trinidad Field Naturalists Club – Honorary Member from 1921
*Pacific Sailfish Club (Panama) – Honorary Member from 1938
*American Association of Museums – Member from 1953
*Brookgreen Gardens (South Carolina) – Member of the Advisory Board from 1949
*
New-York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library in New York City, along Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. ...
– Member from 1951
*American Institute of Park Executives – Fellow from 1947
*American Association for the Advancement of Science
Scientific Namesakes
Tee-Van had the following species named after him;
*Armitermes teevani Emerson (Termite), Zoologica, VI: 371
*Hermtia teevani Curran (Fly), Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., LXVI: 316
*Richardia teevani Curran (Fly), Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., LXVI: 422
*Galapagurus teevani Boone (Crustacean), Zoologica, XIV: 12
*Periploma teevani Hertlein & Strong (Mollusk), Zoologica, 36: 95
*Anachis teevani Hertlein & Strong (Mollusk), Zoologica, 36: 83
*Cetomimus teevani Harry (Fish), Zoologica, 37: 61
*Raja teevani Bigelow & Schroeder (Fish), Journ. Wash. Acad., 41 (12) 1951: 388
Personal life
Tee-Van married
Helen Damrosch on July 17, 1923; they had no children. Helen was an accomplished animal illustrator and author who was also a member of the
Department of Tropical Research staff.
Death
Tee-Van suffered a stroke in early 1966 which left him partially paralyzed, and he died at his home in
Sherman, Connecticut
Sherman is the northernmost and least populous town of Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,527 at the 2020 census. The town was formed in 1802 from the northern part of New Fairfield. It is named for Roger Sherman ...
on November 5, 1967.
[John Tee-Van, Zoo-Log Vol. XXI, no. 11, December 15, 1967, p.2]
See also
*
:Taxa named by John Tee-Van
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tee-Van, John
1897 births
1967 deaths
American ichthyologists
Zookeepers
Wildlife Conservation Society people
People from the Bronx
People from Sherman, Connecticut
Zoo directors
Scientists from New York (state)
20th-century American zoologists