Rudolph Martin Anderson (June 30, 1876 – June 21, 1961) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

born

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

zoologist 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 ...

and

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

Early life

He was born in

Decorah, Iowa Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52, and is the largest commun ...

in 1876, the son of John E. A. Anderson. He received a Ph.D. from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

in 1906; his dissertation was entitled, ''The birds of Iowa''.

Military service

He was a veteran of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, serving as a corporal in the 52nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He served with the 54th Infantry National Guard of Iowa from 1900 to 1906. He was a captain with the National Guard of Missouri from 1906 to 1908.

Civilian career

Anderson participated in the Stefansson-Anderson Arctic Expedition which explored

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and the northern

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

from 1908 to 1912 and was part of the

Canadian Arctic Expedition Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

led by

Vilhjalmur Stefansson Vilhjalmur Stefansson (November 3, 1879 – August 26, 1962) was an Arctic explorer and ethnologist. He was born in Manitoba, Canada. Early life Stefansson, born William Stephenson, was born at Arnes, Manitoba, Canada, in 1879. His parents had ...

from 1913 to 1916. Anderson joined

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 ...

in New York in 1912, but resigned six years later. He assisted in the development of the

Migratory Birds Convention The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA), codified at (although §709 is omitted), is a United States federal law, first enacted in 1918 to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Canada . ...

signed by Canada and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1916. He was chief of the Biology Division of the

National Museum of Canada The national museums of Canada are the nine museums in Canada designated under the federal ''Museums Act'' and operated by the Government of Canada. The national museums are responsible for "preserving and promoting the heritage of Canada and all it ...

from 1920 to 1946.

Death and legacy

He died in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

in 1961.

Partial works

* (1897). ''An annotated list of the birds of Winnebago and Hancock counties, Iowa'', * (1913–18). ''Report of the Canadian Arctic Expedition 1913–18'', * (1917). ''Canadian Arctic Expedition. I. Report of Northern division. II. Report of Southern division,'', * (1921). ''

John Macoun John Macoun (17 April 1831 – 18 June 1920) was an Irish-born Canadian naturalist. Early life Macoun was born in Magheralin, County Down, Ireland in 1831, the third child of James Macoun and Anne Jane Nevin. In 1850, the worsening ec ...

, 1832 .e. 18311920'', * (1932). ''Methods of collecting and preserving vertebrate animals'', * (1934). ''Mammals of the eastern Arctic and Hudson Bay ; Arctic flora'', * (1937). ''Mammals and birds of the western Arctic district, Northwest Territories, Canada'', * (1937). ''Faunas of Canada'', * (1943). ''A synopsis of the rodents of the southern parts of the prairie provinces of Canada'',

Honors

*Spanish–American War Medal *Expert Rifleman with bars *King George VI Coronation medal *Knight Officer International Order, St. Hubert, 1951

References

;Bibliography *

External links

Rudolph Martin Anderson
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

Profile of Dr. Anderson from Canadian Museum of Civilization online exhibition of the Canadian Arctic Expedition 1913-1916
1876 births 1961 deaths Canadian explorers People from Decorah, Iowa American expatriates in Canada 20th-century Canadian zoologists {{Canada-scientist-stub