Henry P. Attwater papers

Collection

Identifier: 00212

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The H. P. Attwater papers contain notebooks handwritten by Attwater between the years of 1889-1930. The notebooks are primarily daily records of weather, birds, bird eggs, or animals that Attwater observed. There are also newspaper clippings detailing the general and bizarre weather for 1894-1930. Also included is “The Standard Catalog of North American Bird Eggs” from 1905.

Dates

Creation: 1889 - 1930

Creator

Attwater, H. P. (Henry Philemon), 1854-1931 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Biographical Note

Henry Philemon Attwater was born in Brighton, England, on April 28, 1854. In 1873 his family immigrated to Ontario, Canada where they farmed. He became interested in natural history in the early 1880’s and made collecting trips to Texas. He moved to Texas in 1889 and in 1900 became an agriculture and industrial agent for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Attwater retired in 1913 to focus on research. He passed away September 25, 1931.

Attwater served as the director of the National Audubon Society. He contributed specimens to the Smithsonian, wrote scientific papers, and worked for game conservation legislation.

(Source: Texas State Historical Society- The Handbook of Texas Online website)