Hornaday, William Temple

Hornaday, William Temple (hôr`nədā), 1854–1937, American naturalist, b. Plainfield, Ind. He was educated at Iowa State College (now Iowa State Univ.), continued his study of zoology and museology in Europe, and was chief taxidermist (1882–90) of the U.S. National Museum. As the first director (1896–1926) of the New York Zoological Park and as an author, Hornaday was a leader in wildlife conservation. His book Extermination of the American Bison (1887) helped to save the bison from extinction. His works also include the classic American Natural History (1904), books on wild animals, and Thirty Years' War for Wild Life (1931).

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Hornaday, William Temple (1854–1937) naturalist, conservationist; born near Plainfield, Ind. Raised on farms in Indiana and Iowa, he pursued a childhood interest in wildlife at the Iowa State Agricultural College. A self-taught taxidermist, he built up substantial fauna collections for the National Museum in Washington, D.C. In 1896 he became the first director of the New York Zoological Park—the Bronx Zoo—and was an effective spokesman for wildlife protection to the end of his life.