Henry Sears
Encyclopedia
Henry Sears was an American commander and a commodore of the New York Yacht Club
who competed in the America's Cup
and discovered multiple species of marine fish.
; and Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
. He attended Ecole Gory School from 1920 to 1925 and St. Marks School from 1928 to 1930. It is unknown whether Sears later attended Yale
or the Brooks School
.
, Sears worked on the ship Atlantis, where he measured the temperatures and salinity off the waters of Maine
. While on the ship, he recorded and preserved several unknown fish species
, in genus Searsia of family
Platytroctidae
: Searsia koefoedi and Searsia polycoeca. Sears' preserved specimens are now located at the Peabody Museum
.
, Sears entered the program for training officers for the U.S. Naval Reserve. He served as captain of the U.S.S Wesson and as commanding officer for the U.S.S. Pillsbury. At the end of the war, he was discharged and received multiple medals, including the Bronze Star.
.
yachts. He then went on to serve as the navigator of the 1958 (defender) Columbia, which won the competition.
New York Yacht Club
The New York Yacht Club is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. The organization has over 3,000 members as of 2011. ...
who competed in the America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
and discovered multiple species of marine fish.
Early life
Sears began sailing at the age of eight. As a child, his family spent three months of the year in each of Boston, Massachusetts; Paris, France; Beverly, MassachusettsBeverly, Massachusetts
Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 39,343 on , which differs by no more than several hundred from the 39,862 obtained in the 2000 census. A resort, residential and manufacturing community on the North Shore, Beverly includes Beverly Farms and Prides...
; and Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr from Welsh for "big hill") is a census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue and the border with Delaware County...
. He attended Ecole Gory School from 1920 to 1925 and St. Marks School from 1928 to 1930. It is unknown whether Sears later attended Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
or the Brooks School
Brooks School
Brooks School is a private, co-educational, preparatory, secondary school in North Andover, Massachusetts on the shores of Lake Cochichewick.-History:...
.
The Atlantis
At the Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and to the education of marine researchers. Established in 1930, it is the largest independent oceanographic research...
, Sears worked on the ship Atlantis, where he measured the temperatures and salinity off the waters of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. While on the ship, he recorded and preserved several unknown fish species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, in genus Searsia of family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Platytroctidae
Platytroctidae
The tubeshoulders are a family, the Platytroctidae, of marine osmeriform fishes. They are found throughout the world, except for the Mediterranean sea. Tubeshoulders live at moderate depths of to , and some have light-producing organs...
: Searsia koefoedi and Searsia polycoeca. Sears' preserved specimens are now located at the Peabody Museum
Peabody Museum
The Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University is among the oldest, largest, and most prolific university natural history museums in the world. It was founded by the philanthropist George Peabody in 1866 at the behest of his nephew Othniel Charles Marsh, the early paleontologist...
.
The Sears Foundation
Sears' wealthy uncle David Sears IV left him a significant inheritance. He used 85,000 to start the Sears Foundation, which published the first Journal of Marine Research and the book Fishes of the Western North America.World War II
With the beginning of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Sears entered the program for training officers for the U.S. Naval Reserve. He served as captain of the U.S.S Wesson and as commanding officer for the U.S.S. Pillsbury. At the end of the war, he was discharged and received multiple medals, including the Bronze Star.
Sailing
Sears won the Navy Challenge Cup in 1952 and the Alumni Class Cup in 1953. In 1956, he was elected commodore of the New York Yacht ClubNew York Yacht Club
The New York Yacht Club is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. The organization has over 3,000 members as of 2011. ...
.
The America's Cup
In 1956, after a 19-year hiatus in America's Cup Racing, Sears appealed to the Supreme Court of New York to amend the Cup's deed of gift. Sears' appeal reinstated the competition in smaller 12-meter12-metre class
The 12 Metre Class is a rating class for racing boats designed to the International rule. It enables fair competition between boats that rate in the class whilst retaining the freedom to experiment with the details of their designs. The first 12 Metres were built in 1907. The 12 Metre Class was...
yachts. He then went on to serve as the navigator of the 1958 (defender) Columbia, which won the competition.