Smithsonian Institution Archives

Gerrit Smith Miller, Jr., Papers, 1908-1940

Summary

Collection ID:
SIA.FARU7173
Creators:
Miller, Gerrit S. (Gerrit Smith), 1869-1956
Dates:
1908-1940
Languages:
English
Physical Description:
2.85 cu. ft. (2 document boxes) (1 16x20 box) (2 tall document boxes)
Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives

Descriptive Entry

Descriptive Entry
Gerrit Smith Miller, Jr.'s papers include personal material concerning awards and his investigation of Christian Science; material on mammalogical research including extensive correspondence with Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas of the British Museum; and material on Miller's research with primates, especially the Piltdown Man and primate behavioral patterns.

Historical Note

Historical Note
Gerrit Smith Miller, Jr., (1869-1956) was born in Peterboro, New York, and grew up on a large estate in central New York. In this relatively isolated setting and through the influence of his great uncle, an ornithologist, Miller developed an early interest in natural history. Following his graduation from Harvard in 1894, Miller joined the Biological Survey in the Department of Agriculture and worked under Clinton Hart Merriam. In 1898 he joined the United States National Museum as Assistant Curator of Mammals and in 1909 became Curator of that Division. He continued in that position until 1940 when he retired and remained as an Associate in biology at the Smithsonian Institution until his death.
Miller's major contributions to mammalogy were his series of checklists of North American mammals, 1901, 1912, and 1924; The Families and Genera of Bats, 1907; and the Catalogue of the Mammals of Western Europe in the Collection of the British Museum, 1912. He also was an early critic of the claimed discovery of the Piltdown Man in England. He published several papers on the controversy and corresponded with many of the principal investigators. Another of his fields of interest was primate behavioral patterns and their possible influence on the beginnings of human social development.

Administration

Author
Finding aid prepared by Smithsonian Institution Archives

Using the Collection

Prefered Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7173, Gerrit Smith Miller, Jr., Papers

More Information

Notes

Personal Papers


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Miller, Gerrit S. (Gerrit Smith), 1869-1956 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Thomas, Oldfield, 1858-1929 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Merriam, C. Hart (Clinton Hart), 1855-1942 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
British Museum Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Harvard University Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States. Bureau of Biological Survey Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States National Museum. Division of Mammals Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Christian Science Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mammalogy Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mammalogists Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Piltdown forgery Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manuscripts Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Black-and-white photographs Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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