

HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM 



the museum project found a strong friend and energetic supporter. 

 Through Mr. Roosevelt and through Messrs. William A. Haines, 

 Benjamin H. Field, and Robert Colgate, a remarkable group of men 

 was brought together which ultimately resulted in the establishment 

 of the first Board of Trustees. Mr. William A. Haines was both a 

 merchant and a student; he had brought together a large collection of 

 shells; he had in conversation and in correspondence emphasized his 

 hope of seeing a museum of natural history erected in New York, and 

 his talent as an organizer led to his taking a prominent part in the 

 movement and being elected chairman of the Executive Committee. 

 The Founders, or original Board, included the following: 



John David W T olfe, William T. Blodgett, 



Robert L. Stuart, Andrew H. Green, 



Robert Colgate, Morris K. Jesup, 



Benjamin H. Field, D. Jackson Steward, 



Richard M. Blatchford, J. Pierpont Morgan, 



Adrian Iselin, Moses H. Grinnell, 



Benjamin B. Sherman, A. G. Phelps Dodge, 



William A. Haines, Charles A. Dana, 



Theodore Roosevelt, Joseph H. Choate, 



Henry G. Stebbins, Henry Parish, 



Howard Potter. 



The steps in the organization of the Museum were as follows : The 

 first letter to the Commissioners of Central Park, dated December 

 30, 1868, with nineteen signers, received favorable response from 

 Mr. Andrew H. Green, as Comptroller of Central Park, dated January 

 13, 1869. The signers of the letter then took immediate steps to raise 

 a fund for the purchase of important collections which were then offered 

 for sale. 



The Special Committee appointed to perfect the organization con- 

 sisted of 



William A. Haines, Howard Potter, 



Theodore Roosevelt. 



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