Allen, Arthur A. (Arthur Augustus), 1885-1964

Arthur Augustus Allen was born on December 28, 1885, in Buffalo, New York.

He was an American professor of ornithology at Cornell University. He earned his B.A. in 1907, his M.A. in 1908, and his Ph.D. in zoology in 1911, all from Cornell University. From 1911 to 1912, he participated in an expedition to Colombia. Following this, he served as an instructor in zoology at Cornell University from 1912 to 1916. In 1916, he was promoted to assistant professor and later became a full professor in 1926, a position he held until his retirement in 1953. He gained extensive knowledge of arctic birds through three separate trips to Hudson Bay in 1934, 1944, and 1954, and renewed his acquaintance with tropical birds in Panama while working with the Office of Scientific Research and Development in 1944-1945. After retiring, he lectured for the National Audubon Society from 1953 to 1959. He was known for his unique style of writing and speaking, which allowed him to effectively share his knowledge and discoveries. Additionally, he served as the President of the Eastern Bird Banding Association from 1923 to 1925 and received the Outdoor Life Medal in 1924 for his research on diseases of the Ruffed Grouse. He authored “The Book of Bird Life” (1930, rev. ed. 1961) and "Stalking Birds with Color Camera" (1951), a remarkable collection of 331 bird photographs in color and stories detailing the making of the photographs, published by the National Geographic Society. Allen was honored as a Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union and was a member of several ornithological and naturalist organizations, including the International Ornithological Congress, the Wilson Ornithological Club, the Cooper Ornithological Club, the American Society of Naturalists, American Wildlife Society (president, 1939), the Society of Mammalogists, Sigma Xi, Gamma Alpha, the Explorers’ Club, and the Savage Club, among others.

In 1913, he married Elsa Guerdrum (1888-1969). He died on January 17, 1964, in Ithaca, New York.