Brown, Barnum
Dates
- Existence: February 12, 1873 - February 5, 1963
Biographical Note
Barnum Brown (born February 12, 1873, Carbondale, Kansas – died February 5, 1963, New York, New York) was a distinguished curator at the American Museum of Natural History in the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology. A famous fossil hunter, known as "Father of the Dinosaurs", he collected numerous specimens on many scientific expeditions for the Museum. In addition to excavating the first discovered remains of Tyrannosaurus rex, Brown collected more than fossils. His contributions to the scientific collections in the Museum include mammals, birds and insects. In 1928, Brown uncovered arrowheads near Folsom, New Mexico, which established human habitiation on the North American continent back to 20,000 years.
Chronology:
- 1893
- Entered Kansas University
- December 12, 1897
- Joined the American Museum of Natural History
- 1922
- Elected to Life Membership of the American Museum of Natural History
- 1925
- Placed in charge of Department of Vertebrate Paleontology Exhibition Halls and Preparation Laboratory
- 1942
- Retired from the American Museum of Natural History
Occupations
Topics
Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:
Barnum Brown papers
The collection consists of Brown's correspondence, notes, images and maps relating to his field work, papers of his second wife, Lilian Brown, drafts of unfinished autobiography, notes and illustrations for his scientific articles, records of his work for the museum, including exhibition halls, records of his commercial work as well as reports from his consulting work for the goverment. The collection also contains papers of Peter Kaisen who was a long-term Brown's assistant.
Department of Vertebrate Paleontology field work collection
The Department of Vertebrate Paleontology began sending staff into the field as early as the first year of its founding, 1891. Since then the department has organized and supported decades of seminal field work as it continues to do so today.
Field and Expedition Equipment
American Museum of Natural History
Museum Archives at the Gottesman Research Library
200 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024-5192