Provenance:
This collection was long held by the university library. Due to the
age and deteriorating condition of these materials, it was decided
in 2002 to remove these items from the circulating collection and
place in the protective custody of South Dakota State University
Archives.
Access Restrictions: For
preservation purposes, the original diaries are restricted for
viewing, however, the photocopies are open for research without
restrictions.
Items in this collection do not circulate and may be
used in-house only.
Copyright Status:
Copyright
2008 by South Dakota State University and SDSU Archives. Please
credit the SDSU Archives if you copy or reproduce material from this
finding aid.
It is the responsibility of anyone reproducing
material to determine the copyright holders and obtain permission
from them if necessary. Archives staff will provide available
copyright information on request. Please note that most collections,
especially those received before 1997, may not have complete
information on file. (Revised 15 SEP 2003)
Preferred citation:
[Identification of item]. Faculty Papers, J. M. Aldrich diaries,
UA 53.14, South Dakota State University Archives, South Dakota State
University, Brookings, S.D.
Processing
information:
The transcripts were removed from their original bindings and
placed in acid free folders for preservation. Because of the
fragility of the paper, photocopies of the originals were made for
patron viewing.
This collection was processed by Crystal J. Gamradt
on July 11, 2002 with revisions on December 9, 2008 (cjg).
J. M. (John Merton) Aldrich was born on January 28,
1866, in Olmstead County, Minnesota, the son of Levi O. and Mary
Moore Aldrich. He was educated in the county and high schools of
Rochester, Minnesota. n 1885, he entered Dakota Agricultural
College at Brookings, South Dakota. He received his B.S. degree in
the first formal commencement exercises of Dakota Agricultural
College in 1888 and was the first graduate who specialized in
zoological sciences. He later received B.S. and M.S. degrees from
the University of Kansas and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.
Following graduation from Dakota Agricultural College
in 1888, Aldrich was employed as an assistant in entomology at the
college between 1889-1890 and an Assistant in Zoology from
1890-1892. During this time, he was also Assistant to the
Agricultural Experiment Station Entomologist. From 1893 to 1913, he
was Professor of Zoology at the University of Idaho. While at the
University of Idaho, Aldrich began work on his Catalog of North
American Diptera. In 1906, he took sabbatical leave to receive a
Ph.D. from Stanford University, where his Catalog was
accepted as his thesis.
In 1913, after his association with the University of
Idaho was terminated, he was then appointed as Entomological
Assistant in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Bureau of Entomology
at West Lafayette, Indiana. Five years later, he was transferred to
the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in
Washington, D.C. In 1919, he became Custodian of the Diptera
(two-winged insects) and Associate Curator of the museum in its
division of insects. Aldrich was the first Dipterist employed by
the Smithsonian Institution who had been previously employed by the
USDA.
Aldrich was known for his unusual success in
obtaining rare specimens of insect life in various sections of the
western hemisphere, including the western United States, Alaska, and
Guatemala. Many of the insects he captured were previously unknown
to science. Because of his extensive knowledge of North American
Diptera fauna, his eminence made the National Museum the center for
studies on New World Diptera. In 1923, Aldrich turned over his
specimen collection of more than 45,000 insects, with more than
4,000 classifications. In addition, he donated to the museum a card
catalog file of North American literature on these specimens. This
collection is among the most important general Diptera collection in
the National Museum.
In addition to his work at the National Museum,
Aldrich wrote extensively on subjects of insect life. He was also
President of the Entomological Society of America (1921) and
received many honors and awards.
Aldrich died in 1934 but is still honored today by
the existence of the Aldrich Entomology Club, which was formed in
1961 at the University of Idaho. This club provides a forum for
student, faculty, and other interested persons to share their
enthusiasm for insect biology.
Bibliography:
Aldrich, J.M. (John Merton), A catalogue of North
American Diptera (or two-winged flies), Washington, D.C.,
Smithsonian Institution, 1905. [Government Documents/Lower Level:
SI1.7:46/1]
Aldrich, J.M. (John Merton), et. al., Biologia
centrali-americana. Insecta. Diptera., London, Pub. For the
editors by R.H. porter, 1886-1903. [Oversize Books/Upper Level:
QL535.2.B5]
Aldrich, J.M. (John Merton), Millard C. Van Duzee,
Frank R. (Frank Raymond) Cole, The dipterous genus Dolichopus
Latreille in North America, Washington, D.C., G.P.O., 1921.
[Government Documents/Lower Level: SI3.3: 116]
Aldrich, J.M. (John Merton) and I. H. Orcutt, “Report
of the Department of Entomology.” South Dakota State College and
Experiment Station, Brookings, S.D. South Dakota State College
and Experiment Station, no. 30, 1892. Archives: 630.7 So87.12 no.
30]
Aldrich, J.M. (John Merton) and I. H. Orcutt, “The
cut-worn.” South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin,
Brookings, S.D. South Dakota Agricultural College and Experiment
Station, no. 18, 1890. [Archives: 630.7 So87.12 no. 18]
Aldrich, J.M. (John Merton) and I. H. Orcutt,
“Injurious insects” South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station
Bulletin, Brookings, S.D. South Dakota Agricultural College and
Experiment Station, no. 22, 1891. [Archives: 630.7 So87.12 no. 22]
Aldrich, J.M. (John Merton), Sarcophaga and allies
in North America, La Fayette, Ind., Murphey-Bivins Co. Press,
1916. [Books/Upper Level: QL535.1.A4s]
Related material:
The John Merton Aldrich Papers are held at the
Smithsonian Institution Archives. A finding aid for this collection
can be viewed at: <
http://siarchives.si.edu/
>
