Biography Charles Otis Whitman

charles otis whitman

whitman born in woodstock, maine. parents adventist pacifists , prevented efforts enlist in union army in 1862. worked part-time teacher , converted unitarianism. graduated bowdoin college in 1868. following graduation, whitman became principal of westford academy, small unitarian-oriented college preparatory school outside lowell, massachusetts. in 1872 moved boston , after becoming member of boston society of natural history in 1874, decided study zoology full-time. in 1875, took leave of absence , went university of leipzig in germany complete ph.d. obtained in 1878.

drawing of passenger pigeon 1 of whitman s books

a year later received postdoctoral fellowship @ johns hopkins university, gave when after recommended noted biologist edward sylvester morse, hired japanese government succeed morse professor @ tokyo imperial university 1879-1881. influenced training in germany, introduced systematic methods of biological research, including use of microscope.

after leaving japan, whitman performed research @ naples zoological station (1882), became assistant @ museum of comparative zoology, harvard university (1883–5), directed allis lake laboratory, in milwaukee (1886–9), founded journal of morphology (1887).

in 1884, whitman married emily nunn. moved clark university (worcester, massachusetts) (1889–92), became professor , curator of zoological museum @ university of chicago (1892–1910), while concurrently serving founding director of marine biological laboratory, woods hole, massachusetts (1888–1908). during 1880s, whitman established himself central figure of academic biology in united states. systematized procedures european anatomists , zoologists had gradually developed on past 2 decades.

over course of career, whitman worked more 700 species of pigeons, studying relationship between phenotypic variation , heredity. turn of 20th century, last group of passenger pigeons, descended same pair, kept whitman @ university of chicago. last attempt breed remaining specimens done whitman , cincinnati zoo, included attempts @ making rock dove foster passenger pigeon eggs. whitman sent martha, last known specimen, cincinnati zoo in 1902.

in december 1910, however, caught chill , died few days later.

whitman non-darwinian evolutionist. stephen jay gould wrote whitman did not believe in lamarckism, darwinism or mutationism, instead whitman advocate of orthogenesis. whitman wrote 1 book on orthogenesis published 9 years after death in 1919 titled orthogenetic evolution in pigeons book published in 3 volume set titled posthumous works of charles otis whitman, gould claims book written late, win potential influence .