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Parr, Albert Eide, 1900-1991

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1900-08-15 - 1991-07-17

Biography

Albert Eide Parr, an oceanographer and ichthyologist, was director of the American Museum of Natural History from 1942 to 1959. Parr was born in Bergen, Norway, went to sea during school and college vacations, studied zoology, and was appointed assistant in the Norway Bureau of Fisheries while an undergraduate. In 1926, Parr came to the United States, worked at the New York Aquarium, and in 1927 was invited by Harry Payne Bingham to serve as naturalist on an expedition to the Caribbean. The fishes collected, including over 100 new species, were eventually housed at Yale University, and the Bingham Oceanographic Laboratory was established with Parr as curator. More expeditions followed, offering Parr the opportunity to study the Sargasso Sea and chart the origins of the Gulf Stream. In 1931, Parr began a career at Yale, eventually becoming professor of oceanography, research associate at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and director of the Peabody Museum. During his term as director of the AMNH, Parr faced the need to retrench during wartime and contract the museum's research geographically. He focused on ecology and education, emphasizing the interrelationship of human beings and natural forces, and defining the museum's mission as attracting and maintaining the interest of the public. Parr was the first director of the AMNH to resign in order to pursue research, becoming senior scientist after fifteen years in administration. He founded and served as the managing editor of the journal published by the Sears Foundation for Marine Research, continued his work on classifying fishes and studying ocean currents, and lectured for the American Association of Museums and UNESCO. Parr died in 1991.

Citation:
Library of Congress Name Authority File
From biographical note for Parr's archive collection at the AMNH Library, Mss .P371-.P375, written by Schuyler Volz, 2012.

Topics

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

American Museum of Natural History Hall of North American Forests notebook

 Collection
Identifier: DR 094
Scope and Content This collection contains documents used in the planning, preparation and construction of exhibits for the Hall of North American Forests. The material relates largely to the financial aspects of exhibit construction. The contents of the box are organized into 30 folders, which were originally separate tabs in a ring-binder. The first folder relates to the hall in general, and includes an index of exhibits, a list of funds from the Department of Conservation and General Ecology, progress...
Dates: 1954-1956; Majority of material found within 1955-1956

Albert Eide Parr papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss .P371-.P375
Scope and Content Note

The collection contains a wide variety of documents pertaining to Albert E. Parr, particularly during his tenure as Museum Director (1942-1959). Additionally, the collection also hosts a large collection of his original publications, as well as an assortment of newspaper clippings, receipts, meeting minutes, drafts of speeches, and correspondence.

Dates: 1933-1935, 1942-1980

Filtered By

  • Subject: Education -- Museums X

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Subject
Botany 1
City Planning 1
Conservation 1
Department Records 1
Ecology 1