Robert Ridgway
1850 – 1929

Robert Ridgway

American ornithologist (1850-1929)

explorerbotanistornithologistzoologist
Born
1850-07-02, Mount Carmel
Died
1929-03-25
Birthplace state
Illinois

Biography

Robert Ridgway was born on July 2, 1850, in Mount Carmel, Illinois, and worked as an explorer, botanist, ornithologist, and zoologist. In 1880, Spencer Fullerton Baird appointed him as the first full-time curator of birds at the United States National Museum, a position he retained until his death on March 25, 1929. He helped establish the American Ornithologists' Union in 1883, serving as an officer and journal editor. Ridgway described more North American bird species for science than any of his contemporaries, produced the work The Birds of North and Middle America, and published two books on color nomenclature: A Nomenclature of Colors for Naturalists in 1886 and Color Standards and Color Nomenclature in 1912, creating technical illustrations for his scientific writings.

Occupation

Robert Ridgway is recorded as a explorer, a botanist, a ornithologist and a zoologist, born in Illinois (1850–1929).

Connections to Illinois

Robert Ridgway was born in Mount Carmel, Illinois in 1850. Explore other notable figures from Illinois, historic sites connected to this era, and the full colonial and statehood history of the state using the links below.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Frequently asked about Robert Ridgway

Who was Robert Ridgway?
Robert Ridgway was American ornithologist (1850-1929), born in Illinois (1850 – 1929).
When and where was Robert Ridgway born?
Robert Ridgway was born on 1850-07-02 in Mount Carmel.
When did Robert Ridgway die?
Robert died on 1929-03-25.
What was Robert Ridgway known for?
Robert Ridgway is recorded as a explorer, a botanist, a ornithologist and a zoologist.
Source

Biographical content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia.

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