A Short History of the ESW

Reprinted from Proceedings Vol. 78, No. 3, July 1976 pp. 225-239 PDF

Ashley B. Gurney
Resident Cooperating Scientist
Systematic Entomology Laboratory
IIBIII, Agr. Res. Serv., USDA

In 1976, in celebration of the American Bicentennial and in recognition of the convening of the XVth International Congress of Entomology in Washington, D.C., it is appropriate to review the history of the Entomology Society of Washington. Although a "local" organization in the sense that all of its meetings are held in the Washington metropolitan area and most of its officers live nearby, its influence during the 92 years of its existence has been not only nationwide but has reached many countries abroad. Meetings have been held regularly, beginning in 1884, and the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, appearing first in March, 1886, has continued to carry original contributions dealing with all phases of entomology, but especially taxonomy. Among the dozens of entomological societies that have existed for varying periods (Sabrosky, 1956), only three in the Americas, which have continued uninterrupted publication of their periodicals, are older than our Society. These will be mentioned later in discussion of some influences relating to the establishment of such societies in America.

Partly due to its location here in our nation's capital, many productive and well-known entomologists have been leaders in the Society. In our profession of entomology, small at first but now in rapid growth, these men and women have achieved recognition of some permanence. Sabrosky (1964) has given some of the early history of entomological work in the U.S. government; taxonomic work was not established as a separate entity until 1925.

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Early in 1884, three young to middle-aged entomologists employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (hereinafter referred to as USDA) felt a desire to meet with other entomologists in the Washington-Baltimore area to discuss entomological subjects in an informal fashion away from official surroundings.

The three, Charles Valentine Riley, Eugene Amandus Schwarz, and Leland Ossian Howard, invited local entomologists to a preliminary meeting in Dr. Riley's home on February 29, 1884, at which time the Entomological Society of Washington was organized. Brief biographical sketches of the three original organizers follow:

Riley (1843-1895), four years President of the Society, was born in Chelsea, London, England, and came to America at the age of 17. As a youth he already displayed much personal charm, intense ambition, willingness to work to the point of exhaustion, and natural talent as an illustrator. He became much interested in farm life and agricultural practices, and some personal associations, especially that with Benjamin D. Walsh of Illinois, who was also of English birth and education, fostered his enthusiasm for studying insects. Riley had an unusual blend of talents, ambition, and artistic flair. Although he was a controversial figure, he gave a great impetus to entomology. He was distinguished first as an entomologist in Missouri in 1868-1876, was Chief of the U.S. Entomological Commission in 1877, and from 1878, except for short gaps, was the ranking USDA entomologist. In an honorary curatorial position, he founded the Division of Insects (now Department of Entomology) at the Smithsonian Institution in 1880.

Schwarz (1844-1928) was twice President, and in 1916 the position of Honorary President (for life) was created for him. He was born in Germany and acquired an entomological background and classical education there. As a learned entomologist specializing in beetles, he came to Harvard University in 1872 and was associated for a short time with the famous scholars Hermann August Hagen and Louis Agassiz. From 1878 until the end of his life he was associated with the USDA and was located at the Smithsonian Institution much of that time. His European experience, classical background, and professional contacts had a rich scholarly influence on the growth of entomology in the USDA and the U.S. National Museum. He was not so much a writer of important monographs as a broad student of insect biology and constant guiding figure in the research and professional development of numerous associates. Two colleagues who came under his influence when very young and who acquired many of his skills were Herbert S. Barber (1882-1950) and Raymond C. Shannon (1894-1945). Barber did not receive collegiate training but was an extremely keen and innovative coleopterist who remained in taxonomic work in Washington throughout his life. Probing the strange life history of Micromalthus beetles and the distinctive flashing and other behavior of lampyrid beetles (fireflies) were among his leading research accomplishments. Shannon acquired university training and spent most of his career abroad, chiefly in South America as a medical entomologist, but remained regularly in touch with Dr. Schwarz. He became renowned for studies of Anopheles gambiae in Brazil, mosquito-borne jungle yellow fever, and the ecology of various other biting flies that transmit disease. During late 1927 he participated in a notable collecting expedition to the southern part of South America which supplied much material for the series "Diptera of Patagonia and South Chile" published by the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) and contributed greatly to the knowledge of the then poorly known insect fauna of that region. Both Barber and Shannon were active members of the Society, especially in their earlier years.

Howard (1857-1950) was three times President, and Honorary President from 1929 to 1950. He was born in Illinois and studied entomology under John H. Comstock at Cornell University, in fact, he was Comstock's first student on a laboratory problem, though other students attended his lectures on entomology earlier. An early associate of Riley in Washington, he was Chief Entomologist of the USDA from 1894 until 1927. A very small group of entomologists was employed by Agriculture when, at the age of 26, he helped found the Society. When he retired as Chief of the Bureau of Entomology there were hundreds of employees and dozens of laboratories in which Agriculture entomologists served. Throughout his career he tried to meet and know personally each entomologist. He was a great historian of entomology and became a highly successful leader in medical entomology and in economic entomology generally. At first he was a taxonomist of parasitic Hymenoptera, and that experience probably contributed strongly to the impetus he gave to the organization and growth of biological control of insect pests.

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Entomological societies which preceded ours and which have continued to publish regularly are: 1) The American Entomological Society, 1867, successor to the Entomological Society of Philadelphia, founded in 1859, and whose Proceedings were prior to the Transactions of the American Entomological Society; 2) The Entomological Society of Canada, organized in 1863, and publishing the Canadian Entomologist since 1868, was interrupted from 1871 until 1951, during which period its activities were taken on by the Entomological Society of Ontario; and 3) The Cambridge Entomological Club, founded in 1874, which began the publication of Psyche in the same year. The Brooklyn Entomological Society, 1872, began its Buletin in 1878, but publication was interrupted from 1886 until 1912, and then suspended again in 1966.

Incentives to start entomological societies probably arose from several factors. One or more men already experienced abroad, usually in England or Germany, were located where each of the abovementioned societies started. The native urge to collect and classify the fauna was given new enthusiasm by association with those familiar with insect study in countries where it already had a place in the culture of the people. Each group of new enthusiasts felt the need to accumulate identified specimens, reference literature, and bibliographies of old and current literature. In most groups there was a physician, clergyman, or teacher at a nearby college to contribute to the group's resources. The practical aspects of learning about insects were a factor in some groups, at least in Washington and Ontario. The Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia show a departure from its usual taxonomic papers in Walsh's reports on injurious insects. In 1864 he published extensive lists of insect species he regarded as common to the faunas of the Old World and North America, taking issue with the "New England School of Naturalists," who argued that the species of the two regions are nearly all distinct. Early publications show that the Philadelphia and Ontario groups were composed chiefly of men of English origin or ancestry. The Brooklyn group was nearly all of German background, as were also many of those in Washington. Hagen was an outstanding entomologist of German origin at Cambridge, where Schwarz also participated before coming to Washington. Although a majority of the early members of the Entomological Society of Washington were of Anglo-Saxon ancestry, a considerable number besides Schwarz were of German birth, including several who were of considerable influence and did much to shape the Society. George Marx, A. J. Schafhirt, Otto Heidemann, Theodore Pergande, and Frederick Knab may be mentioned. Albert Koebele was another; he joined the Brooklyn Society before coming to Washington and joining the group here. He distinguished himself later in the introduction of imported parasites and predators in California.

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