Ralph Hoffmann
Encyclopedia
Ralph Hoffmann was an American
natural history
teacher
and amateur
ornithologist
and botanist
. He was the author of the first true bird
field guide
.
the second of five children raised by Ferdinand and Caroline Hoffmann. Ferdinand Hoffmann (1827–1906) was born in Germany, the son of a surgeon who had served in Napoleon's army. He came to America in the late 1840s where, with the assistance of educator Jared Reid, he founded the Berkshire Family School for Boys (also known as the Edward Place School for Boys) in 1855. Jared Reid is additionally known for being the father of painter Robert Reid
. In 1868, three years after the death of his first wife,Elizabeth J. Hoffmann, Ferdinand married Caroline Bullard (1846–1908), the daughter of a Massachusetts' clergyman. Ralph Hoffmann would go on to attend Harvard University
and graduate with the class of 1890.
where for a time he would spend his summer breaks from BB&N teaching. In 1910 he was chosen to be the first head of the Country Day School
in Kansas City
. Nine years later he relocated to Santa Barbara
to teach natural history at the Cate School for Boys
. There he became a mentor to the American botanist G. Ledyard Stebbins
. In 1925 Hoffmann was named to succeed William Leon Dawson
as director of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
.
In 1901 Hoffmann published with Ernest Thompson Seton
Bird Portraits and in 1904 released A Guide to the Birds of New England
and Eastern New York, a work that focused on field marks, behavior, habitat, call notes and songs in order to facilitate bird identification in the field. In 1922 he published a monograph on the flora of Berkshire County, Massachusetts
and in 1927 Birds of the Pacific States.
, Eliza Gertrude Wesselhoeft, the daughter of a prominent German-American doctor, . Over the following ten years the couple became the parents of two daughters and a son. After her husband’s death in 1932, Gertrude turned to acting and began what would become a 30-year career as a character actor
in Hollywood.
to explore San Miguel Island
for fossil remains of the prehistoric Pygmy Mammoth
. Later in the day he separated from his party to search for specimens of a rare flower on the island’s rocky cliffs. After he failed to return the group searched the foggy island for some eight hours before finding his body at the base of a steep cliff. The handle on his climbing trowel had broken, apparently causing his fatal fall.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
ornithologist
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
and botanist
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
. He was the author of the first true bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
field guide
Field guide
A field guide is a book designed to help the reader identify wildlife or other objects of natural occurrence . It is generally designed to be brought into the 'field' or local area where such objects exist to help distinguish between similar objects...
.
Early life
Ralph Hoffmann was born on November 30, 1870 at Stockbridge, MassachusettsStockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...
the second of five children raised by Ferdinand and Caroline Hoffmann. Ferdinand Hoffmann (1827–1906) was born in Germany, the son of a surgeon who had served in Napoleon's army. He came to America in the late 1840s where, with the assistance of educator Jared Reid, he founded the Berkshire Family School for Boys (also known as the Edward Place School for Boys) in 1855. Jared Reid is additionally known for being the father of painter Robert Reid
Robert Reid (painter)
Robert Lewis Reid was an American Impressionist painter and muralist.-Life and work:Robert Reid was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston under Otto Grundmann, where he was also later an instructor...
. In 1868, three years after the death of his first wife,Elizabeth J. Hoffmann, Ferdinand married Caroline Bullard (1846–1908), the daughter of a Massachusetts' clergyman. Ralph Hoffmann would go on to attend Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and graduate with the class of 1890.
Career
Hoffmann began teaching at Buckingham Browne and Nichols in 1891. A few years later he helped to establish the Alstead School of Natural History in Alstead, New HampshireAlstead, New Hampshire
Alstead is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,937 at the 2010 census. Alstead is home to Feuer State Forest.-History:...
where for a time he would spend his summer breaks from BB&N teaching. In 1910 he was chosen to be the first head of the Country Day School
The Pembroke Hill School
The Pembroke Hill School is a nonsectarian, coeducational, private preparatory school for about 1,200 students in preschool through 12th grade, separated into four sections: preschool-2nd grade , 3rd-5th grade , 6th-8th grade , and 9th-12th grade...
in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Nine years later he relocated to Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...
to teach natural history at the Cate School for Boys
Cate School
The Cate School, established in 1910 by Curtis Wolsey Cate, is a four-year, coeducational, college-preparatory boarding school in Carpinteria, California, United States....
. There he became a mentor to the American botanist G. Ledyard Stebbins
G. Ledyard Stebbins
George Ledyard Stebbins, Jr. was an American botanist and geneticist who is widely regarded as one of the leading evolutionary biologists of the 20th century. Stebbins received his Ph.D. in botany from Harvard University in 1931. He went on to the University of California, Berkeley, where his work...
. In 1925 Hoffmann was named to succeed William Leon Dawson
William Leon Dawson
William Leon Dawson was a noted American ornithologist, author and lecturer.-Early Years:William Dawson was born on 20 February, 1873 at Leon, a small county seat in southern Iowa just north of the Missouri State line. He was the only child of William E...
as director of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is the oldest museum in Santa Barbara, California, founded in 1916. The museum is located in Mission Canyon, immediately behind the Santa Barbara Mission. Set in a traditional southern California environment, the museum campus occupies of oak woodland...
.
In 1901 Hoffmann published with Ernest Thompson Seton
Ernest Thompson Seton
Ernest Thompson Seton was a Scots-Canadian who became a noted author, wildlife artist, founder of the Woodcraft Indians, and one of the founding pioneers of the Boy Scouts of America . Seton also influenced Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting...
Bird Portraits and in 1904 released A Guide to the Birds of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and Eastern New York, a work that focused on field marks, behavior, habitat, call notes and songs in order to facilitate bird identification in the field. In 1922 he published a monograph on the flora of Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County is a non-governmental county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield...
and in 1927 Birds of the Pacific States.
Marriage
On June 23, 1894 Hoffmann married at Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Eliza Gertrude Wesselhoeft, the daughter of a prominent German-American doctor, . Over the following ten years the couple became the parents of two daughters and a son. After her husband’s death in 1932, Gertrude turned to acting and began what would become a 30-year career as a character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
in Hollywood.
Death
On July 21, 1932 Hoffmann joined a group of scientists on an expedition to California's Channel IslandsChannel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
to explore San Miguel Island
San Miguel Island
San Miguel Island is the westernmost of California's Channel Islands, located across the Santa Barbara Channel in the Pacific Ocean, within Santa Barbara County, California. San Miguel is the sixth-largest of the eight Channel Islands at , including offshore islands and rocks. Prince Island, off...
for fossil remains of the prehistoric Pygmy Mammoth
Pygmy Mammoth
The Pygmy Mammoth or Channel Islands Mammoth is an extinct species of dwarf elephant descended from the Columbian mammoth . A case of island or insular dwarfism, M. exilis was only to tall at the shoulder and weighed about , in contrast to its tall, ancestor.Remains of M...
. Later in the day he separated from his party to search for specimens of a rare flower on the island’s rocky cliffs. After he failed to return the group searched the foggy island for some eight hours before finding his body at the base of a steep cliff. The handle on his climbing trowel had broken, apparently causing his fatal fall.