Matthew, William Diller, 1871-1930
Dates
- Existence: February 17, 1871 - September 24, 1930
Biographical Note
William Diller Matthew (1871-1930) was a vertebrate paleontologist and geologist. He was born in 1871 in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, and graduated from the University of New Brunswick in 1889. He received his MA and Ph.D in Geology from Columbia University in 1895 where he studied under Henry Fairfield Osborn, and went on expeditions to Egypt between 1891-1895. Matthew joined the American Museum of Natural History in 1895 as an assistant in the Dept. of Vertebrate Paleontology. He rose to assistant curator in 1901, associate curator in 1902, and eventually becoming curator in February 1911. His work at the American Museum of Natural History was primarily about fossil restoration. Upon the death of E.O. Hovey in 1924, Matthew was appointed acting curator of the Dept. of Geology. He was at the museum for 32 years. His more than 250 publications deal with the morphology and classification of Eocene mammals and later Cenozoic mammals. He was especially interested in horses and made them a focus in evolution. Evolution was the theme on which he frequently wrote, whether dealing with description or comparison. Matthew was recognized for his ability to write about the habits of prehistoric animals in a humorous way. In 1927 Matthew went to the University of California as professor of paleontology and curator of the Paleontological Museum. He died in 1930 in Berkeley, California. A year after his death, his daughter, Margaret Matthew Colbert, began working at the American Museum of Natural History as an artist drawing fossil bones.
Selected Bibliography
Matthew, William Diller. Climate And Evolution. 1915. Matthew, William Diller. Dinosaurs With Special Reference to the American Museum Collections. 1915. Matthew, William Diller and Edward Drinker Cope. Hitherto Unpublished Plates of Tertiary Mammalia and Permian Vertebrata. 1915. Andrews, Roy Chapman and William Diller Matthew. Central Asiatic Expeditions of the American Museum of Natural History, Under the Leadership of Roy Chapman Andrews: Preliminary Contributions in Geology, Palaeontology, and Zoology 1918-1925, Volume I. 1925. Andrews, Roy Chapman and William Diller Matthew. Central Asiatic Expeditions of the American Museum of Natural History, Under the Leadership of Roy Chapman Andrews: Preliminary Contributions in Geology, Paleontology, and Zoology 1926-1929, Volume II. 1929.
Found in 13 Collections and/or Records:
Central Asiatic Expeditions records
Department of Vertebrate Paleontology general correspondence
Editorship of Division I papers, 1924
Correspondence regarding Hovey's appointment as Editor of the Publications of Division I and other editorial matters. Minutes of the Committee on Publication.
Field correspondence, 1891-1969
The field correspondence were written by field workers relaying events during excavations and expeditions. The collection includes department field communications from 1891 to 1969. While Henry Fairfield Osborn was in the department, the letters were addressed primarily to him, but later letters were addressed to others. Notable names in the field correspondence include Walter Granger, Barnum Brown, Ted Galusha, Charles Falkenbach, and G. G. Simpson. The years 1962-1968 are missing.
Field diaries, 1891-1998
Consist of diaries, lists of specimens found, locations of finds, records of day to day activities, and step by step findings. Individual lists can be found with both the Charles H. Falkenbach and Ted Galusha Papers. The diaries are arranged by date and filed as nearly as possible in chronological order. Notable names in the field diaries include H. F. Osborn, Walter Granger, Barnum Brown, and G. G. Simpson.
William King Gregory papers, 1889-1948 (bulk 1906-1948)
William Diller Matthew papers
William Diller Matthew papers
Professional Correspondence, 1896 - 1942
The professional correspondence includes letters between Brown and other paleontologists both within AMNH and elsewhere. It also contains correspondence regarding Brown's lecture tours and his application for copyright. There are also some letters from the public with paleontological enquiries.
Proposed gallery for Hall of Geology, 1922-1924
Primarily correspondence to and from George H. Sherwood regarding a proposed gallery for the Hall of Geology and Invertebrate Paleontology. Also contains memoranda of committee meeting.
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