Hermon Carey Bumpus (May 5, 1862 – June 21, 1943) was an American biologist, museum director, and the fifth president of Tufts College (later

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

Early life and education

Hermon Carey Bumpus was born in Buckfield, Maine in 1862 and received a Ph.B. from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

in 1884, specializing in biology and science. He began graduate work at Brown before teaching at Olivet College. Bumpus received his Ph.D. from

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in th ...

in 1891. Bumpus joined the faculty of Brown as a professor of comparative

zoology 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 kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, an ...

in 1890, where he emphasized active experimentation over the "didactic doldrums" of lectures. In 1893, Bumpus worked with colleagues

Charles V. Chapin Charles Value Chapin (January 17, 1856 – January 31, 1941) was an American pioneer in public health research and practice during the Progressive Era. He was superintendent of health for Providence, Rhode Island between 1884 and 1932. He ...

and John Howard Appleton in establishing a premedical program, one of the first premedical programs in the United States, with Bumpus as the director. Bumpus also established a Medical Association for physicians of Providence; in 1896 Bumpus demonstrated a

Holtz Holtz is the surname of: * Alexander Holtz (born 2002), Swedish ice hockey player * Andrew Holtz, American journalist * Carl Holtz (1920–2006), American oarsman and farmer * Daniel Holtz, a fictional character on the TV series ''Angel'' * Eric ...

machine to this group. He actually took the first x-ray images in Rhode Island around this time. His comparison of

house sparrow The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the Old World sparrow, sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pale ...

s that survived an uncommonly severe storm in 1898 with those that did not, including their respective measurements, has been cited as a classic example of natural selection in action. Bumpus received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Brown University in 1905. He received an honorary Doctor of Science from Tufts in 1905 and an honorary LL.D. from Clark in 1909. He directed the Marine Biological Laboratory at

Woods Hole Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The population was 781 at ...

, the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries laboratory, also at Woods Hole, and the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 int ...

. Subsequently, he served as business manager of the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

Career at Tufts

Bumpus became president of

in 1915, and was the first Tufts president who was not a Universalist; he had been chosen specifically because of his educational and administrative experience. He served president until 1919.

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bumpus, Hermon Carey 1862 births 1943 deaths Brown University alumni Clark University alumni People from Buckfield, Maine American biologists People associated with the American Museum of Natural History Directors of museums in the United States Presidents of Tufts University