William Hampton Patton (March 10, 1853 – December 26, 1918) was an American entomologist.

Biography

Patton was born on March 10, 1853, at

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...

, to William and Sarah Frances Patton. He graduated from Waterbury High School in 1870 and prepared for college at the Williston Seminary in

Easthampton, Massachusetts Easthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The city is on the southeastern edge of the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst. The population was 16,211 at the 2020 ...

. He entered

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1872 and received a colloquy appointment during his senior year and graduated in 1876. As a post-graduate, he served as an assistant in zoology to Professor

Addison Emery Verrill Addison Emery Verrill (February 9, 1839 – December 10, 1926) was an American invertebrate zoologist, museum curator and university professor. Life Verrill was born on February 9, 1839 in Greenwood, Maine, the son of George Washington Verrill ...

at Yale for two years. Patton worked as a special agent at the

United States Entomological Commission The United States Entomological Commission was established by an Act of Congress in 1877 as a department under the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories headed by Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden. The commission was created ...

Washington, D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

from 1879 to 1881. Drawn by Patton's work in the ''Canadian Entomologist'' journal, the U. S. Entomological Commission chairman Dr.

Charles Valentine Riley Charles Valentine Riley (18 September 1843 – 14 September 1895) was a British-born American entomologist and artist. He was one of the first individuals to use biological pest control and authored over 2,400 publications. He convinced Congress ...

hired Patton as an assistant. In his work, Patton specialized in the Hymenoptera order of insects. Patton left his work in Washington to take care of his ill father. When Patton's father died, Patton suffered from a breakdown and started acting strangely, eventually ending up as an inmate at the Hartford Retreat. Patton escaped the asylum in 1882 and showed up in Washington where Dr. Riley tried to give him a job at the U. S. Department of Agriculture. After working there for a few days and Patton started acting strangely again and Dr. Riley and Dr. Howard arranged for Patton to be taken back to the asylum in Hartford. Patton was still allowed to keep an insect collection while in the asylum. Upon the establishment of the State Entomologist office in 1901, Patton wrote a series of letters to its new officeholder, W. E. Britton. The State Entomologist tried to schedule a meeting in Hartford for them to visit. After Patton did not show up, the State Entomologist learned weeks later about Patton's mental instability from Yerrill. Patton died in Hartford on December 26, 1918, as a result of

valvular heart disease Valvular heart disease is any cardiovascular disease process involving one or more of the four valves of the heart (the aortic and mitral valves on the left side of heart and the pulmonic and tricuspid valves on the right side of heart). These ...

and

arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis is the thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries. This process gradually restricts the blood flow to one's organs and tissues and can lead to severe health risks brought on by atherosclerosis, which ...

. He was interred at Riverside Cemetery in Waterbury, Connecticut. During his lifetime, Patton was a member of the American and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Associations for the Advancement of Science, the Entomological Society of Ontario, and the

Connecticut Academy of Science Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

. He was a fellow of the

Entomological Society of London The Royal Entomological Society is devoted to the study of insects. Its aims are to disseminate information about insects and improving communication between entomologists. The society was founded in 1833 as the Entomological Society of Londo ...

and a charter member of the

Biological Society of Washington The Biological Society of Washington is a worldwide acting scientific organisation established on 3 December 1880 in Washington, D.C., United States. The original purpose was "to encourage the study of the Biological Sciences and to hold meetings ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patton, William Hampton 1853 births 1918 deaths People from Waterbury, Connecticut People from Hartford, Connecticut Yale University alumni American entomologists Hymenopterists