American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

Rainey Asiatic Expedition 1918-1919; Third Asiatic Zoological Expedition 1918
birth: 1918
death: 1919
The Rainey Asiatic Expedition began in July of 1918 and lasted until the end of World War I in 1919. It traversed Siberia to the Ural Mountains by railway. Nominally sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History, the expedition was entirely funded by philanthropist, hunter, explorer and photographer Paul J. Rainey. Rainey acted as leader and requested Edmund Heller to join him as scientist and naturalist. (1)
According to the American Museum of Natural History Annual Report of 1918 the expedition, “under the auspices of the American Museum of Natural History, was organized with a plan of work in the Orient covering several years.” (2) It is interesting to note that in this report the expedition is referred to as the Third Asiatic Zoological Expedition, implying a connection to Roy Chapman Andrews’ First and Second Asiatic Zoological Expeditions. There appears to have been no relationship between these expeditions however, other than the inclusion of Edmund Heller on both this and the First Asiatic Expedition led by Andrews.
Rainey was a big-game hunter and wealthy philanthropist who had associated with and patronized many cultural institutions including the American Museum and the Smithsonian Institution. In 1911 he had mounted his African Expedition and acquired the services of the Smithsonian’s Edmund Heller as naturalist. Heller was a zoologist and seasoned explorer who would work with the Field Museum, the Smithsonian, the University of California, and the American Museum of Natural History.