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Nathan Clifford Brown (October 13, 1856 – March 20, 1941) was an American
Nathan Clifford Brown (October 13, 1856 – March 20, 1941) was an American ornithologist
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...
who was one of the co-founders of the American Ornithologists' Union
The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its m ...
.
Biography
Nathan Clifford Brown was born inPortland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...
on October 13, 1856. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Associate Supreme Court Justice Nathan Clifford
Nathan Clifford (August 18, 1803 – July 25, 1881) was an American statesman, diplomat and jurist.
Clifford is one of the few people who have served in all three branches of the U.S. federal government. He represented Maine in the U.S. Ho ...
, who had also been a U.S. Representative for Maine, an ambassador to Mexico and an attorney general for Democratic President James K. Polk
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...
.
Brown developed an interest in natural history early in his life. He collected birds and attempted taxidermy several times before entering Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...
in 1873. However, poor health interrupted his studies, and it made it difficult for him to find employment. In 1874, Brown sought Charles Johnson Maynard
Charles Johnson Maynard (May 6, 1845 – October 15, 1929) was an American naturalist and ornithologist born in Newton, Massachusetts. He was a collector, a taxidermist, and an expert on the vocal organs of birds. In addition to birds, he also s ...
to study taxidermy
Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proce ...
, which jump-started his ornithological career. Brown finished his apprenticeship in 1875, and moved back to Portland.The Auk. "In Memoriam: Nathan Clifford Brown." Vol. 59. No. 4., October, 1942.
Back in Portland, Brown began his work on his "Catalogue of Birds of Portland and Vicinity". Starting in 1878, Brown went on collecting trips in the South, specifically Alabama and Texas. Starting in 1903, he would also visit South Carolina. In 1881, he was named curator of ornithology for the Portland Society of Natural History, a position he held until 1889.Patuxent Wildlife Research Center https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bpp/Observer%20Bios/Nathan%20Clifford%20Brown.pdf
In all, Brown wrote 104 ornithological titles, mostly published in the ''Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club'' and in its successor, ''The Auk''. Starting in 1876, he was a corresponding member of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, and in 1883, he was a founding member of the American Ornithologists' Union.
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Nathan Clifford 1856 births 1941 deaths American ornithologists Writers from Portland, Maine Scientists from Maine Bowdoin College alumni