26 ANNUAL REPOET SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1919. 



np:crolo(jy. 



I may here express for myself and on behalf of the staff of th& 

 Institution and the National Museum the deep sense of loss caused by 

 the death during the year of Mr. Richard Rathbun, assistant secre- 

 tary in charge of the National Museum, and Mr. A. Howard Clark^ 

 editor of the Smithsonian Institution. These two men. through 

 long connection with the Institution, contributed much to its de- 

 velopment and their passing leaves a deep feeling of personal los.-> 

 among their associates. 



KI CHARD KATHBUN. 



Richard Rathbun, assistant secretary of the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., January 25, 1852, and died July 16, 

 1918. He received his education at Cornell University, specializing 

 in geology and paleontology. Here he was associated with Charles 

 Fred Hartt, professor of geology, who assigned to Mr. Rathbun the 

 task of working up for publication a collection of fossils from Brazil, 

 which resulted in the publication of Mr. Rathbun's first paper on 

 the " Devonian Brachiopoda of Erere, of the Province of Para» 

 Brazil." During this work he had occasion to visit the Museum of 

 Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, where the environment proved 

 so congenial that he remained here for two years. During the summer 

 months he served as a volunteer assistant under Spencer F. Baird in 

 marine explorations on the New England coast. Through his as- 

 sociation with Prof. Baird his connection with the Smithsonian 

 Institution began. 



In 1875 he was appointed geologist to the Geological Commission 

 (jf Brazil, and for the following three years he studied the geological 

 features of that country. On returning to the United States he was 

 appointed a scientific assistant in the United States Fish Commission, 

 in which service he remained until 1896. 



During this period several papers from his pen appeared in " The 

 Fisheries and the Fish Industry of the United States." During 

 these years also he was involved in the fur seal investigation. The 

 most important international commission to the Fur Seal Islands 

 was the one sent out in 1896. and Mr. Rathbun was named chief 

 advisor to Mr. Hamlin in innnediate charge of the case. 



In 1896 Mr, Rathbun came to the Smithsonian Institution and at 

 the beginning of 1897 took up the duties as assistant in charge of 

 office and exchanges, later being named assistant secretary. The fol- 

 lowing year, holding this same title, he was given charge of the Na- 

 tional Museum, which position he held imtil his death. 



One of the most important events during his administration of 

 the Museum was the appropriation for and the construction of the 



