10 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 
NECROLOGY. 
CHARLES ALDRICH. 
The death of Charles Aldrich on March 8, 1908, dosed the labors of a prom- 
inent pioneer who occupied an important place in the development of public 
institutions. For more than fifty years his pen was busy working up an interest 
in the upbuilding of museums, libraries and educational institutions, the collec- 
tion of historical material and advocating the extension of scientific work in the 
State. His communications issued in the paper he founded in Webster City, or 
contributions to the Marshalltown Times-Republican, the old Iowa State Register, 
The Register and Leader, The Des Moines Capital, The Chicago Inter-Ocean, or 
Dubuque Daily Times, frequently advocated the scientific work of the State 
and Nation at large. 
His letters written while unofficially connected with the Hayden Geological 
Survey and published in the Chicago Inter-Ocean under the name of David 
Gray on May 30, June 10, 20, July 4, September 1, 8, 14, 23, 26, 30, in 1875, gave 
a popular description* of the geology of Southern Colorado as well as accounts of 
the Indians and cliff-dwellers of that region. 
Mr. Aldrich was born in Ellington, N. Y,, October 2, 1828. His education was 
received in the public schools of Jamestown, N. Y., and later in the academy 
of the same place. 
He early began his work in a newspaper office and established the Cattaraugus 
Sachem. Many years later he published in the Cattaraugus Republican* some 
interesting reminiscences of his Indian experiences of his early life. Later he 
established a weekly journal at Clean, N. Y., in 1851-56. He founded the Webster 
City Freeman, June 29, 1857. 
During all these years he missed no opportunity of contributing to the various 
newspapers of the State. Mr. Aldrich was especially interested in bird protection. 
Thus he introduced the first measure working toward the protection of our birds, 
the bill passing in 1870. His articles published on this subject were numerous.i 
He was very much interested in domestic animals, he had pets of all kinds 
and notes were occasionally published on the intelligence of some of these 
animals, as for instance, an account of his horse Joseph, under the title of 
“The Death of Joseph”; also a biography and the characteristics of a cat2 
which he called “Shorty,” and the biography and characteristic anecdotes of a 
cat^ describing the intelligence of this animal which he had had under observa- 
* November 25, 1890. 
1. Bird Protection in England, Des Moines Capital, April 4, 1899; Hawks and Owls, 
Boone News, Dec. 6, 1904; Stop Murdering the Birds, Boone Co. Republican, AprilJO, 1903; 
Taming of a Wild Bird, Capital, April 5, 1899; Wild Birds Know their Friends, April 24, 1897; 
A Word for the Sparrow, Capital, May 15, 1900; Birds out of Season; The Merciless War 
upon the Birds, Report Iowa State Horticulturist Society 1884; Birds in Town, Des Moines 
Capital, Jan. 9, 1901. 
2. “Our dear old Shorty,” Chicago Field, April 16, 1881. 
