Mook, Charles Craig, 1887-1966
Biographical Note
Charles C. Mook (1887-1966) was hired after graduation from Columbia in 1912 as a research assistant to Osborn and retired as AMNH Department of Paleontology Curator Emeritus of Fossil Reptiles.
Mook was born to Charles Oscar Moook and Gertrude Martin Mook in Metuchen, New Jersey. He had a variety of jobs after finishing high school in 1904, including working at a cement company, teaching and studying music, and selling magazine subscriptions. He developed an interest in geology in 1906 after noticing a book on the topic at his public library. He got his B.S. in 1912, his M.A. in 1914, and his Ph. D. in 1915, all from Columbia. He married Ruth Weir Raeder the same year he got his masters degree, and they had three children over the course of their marriage: Gertrude, Ruth, and Caryl.
After starting at AMNH as research assistant in 1912, he became Associate Curator in 1922. He did ample field research, and collected for the Frick Laboratory. In 1926 he became an Associate in Paleontology, 1927 an Associate Curator of Fossil Reptiles, 1928 an Associate Curator of Geology and Paleontology, and he became Associate Curator Emeritus at AMNH before attaining his final title of Curator Emeritus of Fossil Reptiles. His work focused on fossil reptiles, co-authoring a book with Osborn on sauropod dinosaurs in 1921. He spent many years writing a work on fossil crocodiles. He published over 60 scientific papers on dinosaurs and crocodiles. He participated in a variety of professional organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, New York Academy of Sciences, Paleontological Society of America, and the Geological Society of America.
He taught at a variety of institutions, including Barnard College, Columbia, Rutgers, Hunter College, New York University, and Brooklyn College, holding titles from Lecturer to Full Professor. He became head of the Department of Geology at Brooklyn College.
Sources
Mook, Charles C. (1887-1966) Curator, Fossil Reptiles - Biographical File, AMNH Research Library
Found in 5 Collections and/or Records:
Crocodile specimen photographs
Photographs of crocodiles.
Department of Vertebrate Paleontology correspondence
William King Gregory papers, 1889-1948 (bulk 1906-1948)
Charles C. Mook papers
Recommendation, 1919-1923
Correspondence between E. O. Hovey and others, regarding letters of recommendation for various colleagues and former employees.