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William James Morden was born in Chicago, Ill. on January 3, 1886 to a wealthy family with a railroad business. He graduated from the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University in 1908 with an advanced degree in engineering, which he put to use while working for his family’s company before serving as a lieutenant in the Army Engineers Corps in France during WWI. Morden began his life as an explorer in 1921 when he took off on his first journey, an AMNH expedition to the Yukon Territory. Four major expeditions followed which were also under the auspices of the American Museum of Natural History. These included voyages to central Asia for the Morden-Clark Asiatic Expedition in 1926 and the Morden-Graves Expedition in 1929-1930, and to Africa for the Morden African Expedition in 1922-1923 and for another expedition conducted 1947 and again in 1953. He also funded expeditions to Hawaii, Brazil, and Ecuador to collect fish specimens for the Ichthyology Department.
Morden’s expeditions primarily took place to gather mammalian specimens for the museum and he and his team also extensively filmed their experiences while traveling. His 1947 expedition to Africa yielded artifacts and film footage of a number of tribes. Irene Hambright Morden, Morden’s second wife, was an active participant on these expeditions and the two completed a book on some of their experiences entitles Our African Adventure, published in 1954. William James Morden died in his home in Chappaqua, NY on January 24, 1958.
Morden led an AMNH expedition to the head of the Donjek River in the Yukon Territory.
Morden and his first wife, Florence, traveled to East Africa, Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt.
Morden led an expedition to Urumchi, Srinagar, Kashmir, and the Thian Shan Mountains in order to collect the Ovis poli (white sheep)for use in AMNH’s Asian Hall of Mammals.
Morden led an expedition from Moscow to Uzbekistan and the Karoka Steppes in search of the long-haired Siberian tiger and a Saiga antelope for use the AMNH's North Asiatic Hall.
Expedition to Brazil to collect fish specimens.
Expedition to Hawaii t collect fish specimens.
Morden returned to Africa, this time with anthropoligist R. Lewis to film and collect artifacts from a number of African tribes, notably the Turkana. He traveled to Cape Province, Griqualand East, Natal, Griqualand West, Tanganyika, the Orange Free State, Transvaal, Rhodesia, Zanzibar, Uganda, Buganda, Belgian Congo, The Sudan, Kenya, and Zimbabwe .
Morden's last expedition, to Africa, was sponsored by the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University.
Morden was appointed as a field associate for the Department of Mammalogy in 1927.
A fellow explorer, Andrews and Morden had plans to meet in Mongolia but Andrews backed out due to the unstable political situation there.
Clark accompanied Morden on the Morden-Clark Asiatic Expedition.
Graves accompanied Morden on that Morden-Graves Central Asiatic Expedition.
Goodwin continued the field work of the Morden-Clark Asiatic Expedition in the Gaspe Peninsula.
Morden married Irene Hambright in 1940. She accompanied him on many of his subsequent expeditions.
Sherwood was an employee of AMNH and a correspondent of Morden's
Osborn was a curator at AMNH and correspondent of Morden's
Murphy was an ornithologist and correspondent of Morden's.
Morden served as Director and Vice President.
Morden was a Life Fellow.
Morden was an honorary member.
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Member
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Director
Morden graduated from the Sheffield Scientific School with a degree in engineering in 1908.