Fairfield Osborn

Fairfield Osborn (1887-1969) was the son of Henry Fairfield Osborn, and "was well into a successful business career when he began to involve himself in the affairs of the New York Zoological Society in the early 1920s. By 1940 Osborn was its president, and over the next nearly thirty years he both raised the visibility of the NYZS's primary ongoing project, the Bronx Zoo, and as an individual emerged as one of the planet's leading conservationists. His influence in that arena was felt in the private sector, in his participation in the agendas of NGOs and governments, and as a best-selling author. 1948's Our Plundered Planet, in particular, stands as one of the most memorable pro-environment statements of the middle of the twentieth century."

His cousin was Frederick Osborn.

Life Chronology

 * born in Princeton, New Jersey, on 15 January 1887.
 * 1909: A.B., Princeton University
 * 1909-1910: graduate study in biology, Cambridge University
 * 1915-1917: made treasurer of Union Oil Company
 * 1917-1919: serves in the U. S. Army during World War I
 * 1919-1935: partner, Redmond and Company (investment bankers)
 * 1923-1935: trustee and member of the executive board of the New York Zoological Society
 * 1935: retires from business
 * 1935-1940: secretary and board member of the New York Zoological Society
 * 1940-1969: president and board member of the New York Zoological Society
 * 1948: helps establish Jackson Hole Wildlife Park in Wyoming
 * 1948: publishes his Our Plundered Planet (National Education Association names it the outstanding book of the year)
 * 1948-1961: co-founder and first president of the Conservation Foundation
 * 1950-1957: member of the conservation advisory committee of the Department of the Interior
 * 1953: publishes his The Limits of the Earth
 * 1955: honorary D.Sc., New York University
 * 1957: honorary D.Sc., Princeton University
 * 1965: helps establish the Institute for Research in Animal Behavior
 * 1966: receives the New York Zoological Society's gold medal
 * dies at New York City, on 16 September 1969.

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * Samuel H. Ordway, Jr.