William Dutcher (20 January 1846 – 1 July 1920) was an American businessman, amateur bird photographer,

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 ...

and a keen proponent of

bird conservation Bird conservation is a field in the science of conservation biology related to threatened birds. Humans have had a profound effect on many bird species. Over one hundred species have gone extinct in historical times, although the most dramatic hu ...

. Working in a New York insurance company, he provided support to 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 ...

(AOU) in its early years by serving as its treasurer and by working with government agencies to help pass key legislations for the protection of birds and the establishment of bird reserves.

Biography

William Dutcher was born to Rev. Jacob Conklin and Margaretta Ayres Dutcher in Stelton, New Jersey. The family moved to Coxsackie and later Owasco where William studied for a few years. At the age of thirteen he began to work for a banker on

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

. He worked for some time near

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

on a farm but returned to New York to work with the Brooklyn Life Insurance Company and later the Prudential Insurance Company. On weekends and holidays he went out shooting birds and soon became interested in ornithology. Dutcher took a special interest in the

Labrador duck The Labrador duck (''Camptorhynchus labradorius'') was a North American bird; it has the distinction of being the first known endemic North American bird species to become extinct after the Columbian Exchange, with the last known sighting occurri ...

and owned a specimen of the last individual and used it as an example for conservation measures. He became a member of the newly founded American Ornithologists' Union. In 1887 he served as Treasurer for the AOU and held this position for sixteen years. He also chaired the committee on bird protection. Dutcher worked on the passing of the

Lacey Act The Lacey Act of 1900 is a conservation law in the United States that prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold.United States. Lacey Act (Game). , ch. 553. Approved May 25, 1900. ...

of 1900. He also worked with the US Department of Agriculture to establish Pelican Island as the first National Bird Reserve in 1903. Dutcher helped raise the funds for purchase of land and for supporting the pay of wardens. In 1910, he attended the

International Ornithological Congress International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

at Berlin where he spoke on the rationale for international bird protection. Dutcher married Catharine Oliver Price on May 18, 1870 and they had a son Basil and a daughter Mary who later contracted tuberculosis and died in 1909. The death of his daughter affected Dutcher greatly and led to a decrease in his pursuits and to make matters worse he suffered a stroke in 1910 that paralyzed his right side and made speech impossible. He established a Mary Dutcher Memorial Fund for bird protection. William T. Hornaday's book ''Our Vanishing Wildlife'' (1913) was dedicated to Dutcher.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutcher, William 1846 births 1920 deaths American ornithologists