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Tate, Geoffrey M., 1898-1964

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1898 - 1964

Summary

Abstract:

Geoffrey M. Tate, (born July 8, 1898, Ontario, Canada. – died July 1964, Brooklyn, New York), zoologist and explorer, who served as business manager of the Archbold Expeditions for ten years.

Chronology:
1898
Tate is born, later serves in the British Army during World War I and the Canadian Army during World War II.
1927
Geoffrey Tate accompanies his brother G.H.H. Tate on the AMNH Day Roraima Expedition.
1927-1938
Tate conducts import-export business until 1938 and returns to AMNH as head of the New York office of Archbold expeditions.
1948
Tate serves as business manager and collector for the Cape York Expedition.
1953
Tate serves as business manager and collector for the 4th Archbold Expedition to New Guinea.
1954
Tate suffers a stroke in the field during the 4th Archbold Expedition to New Guinea.
1964
Tate dies at his Brooklyn, NY home at the age of 66.

Biographical Note

Geoffrey M. Tate was born in Ontario, Canada on July 8, 1898. In World War I he served in the British Army in France and in World War II, he served in the Canadian Army in England (1, 1964). Tate was the younger brother of Dr. G.H.H. (George Henry Hamilton) Tate, who was a curator in the Department of Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History.

Although Tate never attended college, he became a zoologist and a business manager for the Archbold Expeditions. Tate first came to the Museum in 1927 to accompany his brother on the Day Roraima expedition of the American Museum of Natural History to British Guiana, Brazil, and Venezuela (2).

Tate collected reptile and insect specimens, notably a rare taipan snake, on the 1948 Cape York Expedition (3) and the 4th Archbold Expedition to New Guinea. In 1954, Tate suffered a stroke on the 4th Archbold Expedition to New Guinea and was forced to retire.

Tate died in July 1964 at his Brooklyn, NY home.

SOURCES

(1) Obituary, Geoffrey Tate, Ex-Museum Aide. Folder Tate, Geoffrey (d. 1964) Zoologist and Explorer. Vertical Files, American Museum of Natural History Research Library.

(2) Geoffrey M. Tate, Archbold Expeditions, New York Headquarters. Folder Tate, Geoffrey (d. 1964) Zoologist and Explorer. Vertical Files, American Museum of Natural History Research Library.

(3) Tate, Geoffrey M. 1948 Archbold Cape York Expedition : Daily Journal G. M. Tate. American Museum of Natural History Archives.

(4) Obituary, Geoffrey Tate, Ex-Museum Aide. Folder Tate, Geoffrey (d. 1964) Zoologist and Explorer. Vertical Files, American Museum of Natural History Research Library.

Places

  • South America (Other)
    • Note: Geoffrey Tate joined brother G. H. H. Tate on the Day Roraima Expedition.
  • Cape York Peninsula (Other)
    • Note: Geoffrey Tate was business manager and collector for the Cape York Expedition.
  • New Guinea (Other)
    • Note: Geoffrey Tate acted as business manager and collector for the 4th Archbhold Expedition to New Guinea. He collected reptiles, amphibians, insects, and fresh water fishes.

Topics

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

The Archbold Collections at the American Museum of Natural History, 1928-1980.

 Collection
Identifier: Archive Mammalogy Archbold
Scope and Contents The Archbold Collections at the American Museum of Natural History is comprised of material that documents the expeditionary fieldwork of Richard Archbold and the Archbold Expeditions. It is housed within the AMNH Department of Mammalogy Archive, and encompasses a variety of formats, including photographs, slides, film, scrapbooks, correspondence, financial records, and field documentation such as catalogs, specimen lists, field notes and journals. These describe both the day-to-day...
Dates: 1928 - 1980; Majority of material found within 1930 - 1964