American Fisheries Society. 39 
ROBERT BARNWELL ROOSEVELT. 
Born, August 7, 1829. 
Died, June 14, 1906. 
A kindly man who loved the gentle art of angling, and whose 
interest in his favorite sport led to the first practical work in 
fish culture in the United States, was Robert B. Roosevelt, once 
President of the American Fisheries Society. By birth he was 
a New York City man; by education, a lawyer; by every instinct, 
a true sportsman. Sometime in the early sixties, generally 
agreed to be in 1865, while at the annual gathering of the State 
Sportsmen’s Association, he met the famous Seth Green, and a 
mutual interest in fly casting made them fast and hfe-long 
friends. A few years after this meeting Mr. Roosevelt inherited 
ample means and gave up the practice of the law which he began 
in 1850, to devote his time to the congenial work of assisting his 
friend to make trout culture at least a possibility, and to secure 
adequate laws for game protection. With his aid Green started 
a little hatchery at Caledonia, in New York state, and here work- 
ed out the problem of brook trout culture. The place is now the 
site of the greatest fish hatchery which the Empire State owns, 
and is known the world over. 
In 1867 Mr. Roosevelt drafted the bill under which the 
Fisheries Commission of New York state was created and _ be- 
came one of its members. Mr. Green was its superintendent. 
In 1872, while Mr. Roosevelt was a member of Congress, the bill 
was passed creating the National Fish Commission, whose work 
is the greatest in the world. In 1888 he was appointed Minister 
to the Netherlands and served with honor. Politically, socially 
and as a sportsman he worked for the general betterment of 
things as he found them. He was frequently honored by his 
fellow citizens and was continually an honor to them. As a 
president of the American Fisheries Society he added much 
to its efficiency as an organization, and the Society has ordered 
this page set apart to his memory in its published transactions. 
Report unanimously adopted. 
