The Biographical Dictionary of America/Agassiz, Alexander Emmanuel Rudolph

AGASSIZ, Alexander Emmanuel Rudolph, zoölogist, was born in Neuchatel, Switzerland, Dec. 17, 1835, son of Louis and Cecile (Braun) Agassiz. He came to the United States with his father when he was eleven years of age, and, completing his academical course, entered Harvard and was graduated in 1855. He studied engineering in the Lawrence scientific school, and after taking his degree pursued a post-graduate course in chemistry, at the same time teaching that science in a young ladies' seminary conducted by his father. In 1859 he was appointed assistant to the United States coast survey in California, and was engaged on the northwest boundary, where he collected and afterwards enriched the Harvard museum of comparative zoölogy by specimens that he had collected and studied. Upon his return in 1860 he was made assistant in zoölogy at the Peabody museum, taking full charge during his father's visit to Brazil in 1865. The same year he became interested in coal mining in Pennsylvania, and in 1866 made some investigations in the copper mines of Lake Superior, and became president of the Calumet and Hecla mining company, which corporation paid to its stockholders over $50,000,000 in dividends prior to 1895. This brought Agassiz a very large fortune, which he used in munificent gifts to the Harvard museum, of which he became assistant curator, and, after the death of his father, curator. These gifts aggregated over $500,000, and were mostly spontaneous responses to needs that presented themselves in his daily work. In addition to interesting himself in the scientific work involved in his position, Professor Agassiz was, in 1873, superintendent of the Anderson school of natural history on Penikese Island. He was a member of the scientific-expedition to South America in 1875, where he inspected the copper mines of Peru and Chili, and made extended surveys of Lake Titicaca, besides collecting invaluable Peruvian antiquities, which he gave to the Peabody museum. He assisted Sir Charles Wyville Thomson, the Scotch zoölogist, in arranging and classifying the product of the expedition of the Challenger in her voyage of 68,900 miles of deep-sea exploration in 1872-'76. Of the fruits of this remarkable voyage Agassiz brought to America a valuable collection, and wrote one of the final reports on the zoölogy of the expedition, that on Echini. The United States coast survey placed at his disposal the steamer Blake, on board of which he spent his winters from 1876 to 1881, principally in the West Indies in deep-sea dredging. Professor Agassiz served as an overseer of Harvard university, and was a fellow until 1885. His society membership embraced the American association for the advancement of science, the National academy of science and the American academy of arts and sciences, of which last he was president in 1898. He was made an officer of the Legion of Honor of France in 1896. In 1898 he gave to Harvard university his valuable West Indian, Central and South American zoölogical collections. On May 7, 1902, he was appointed the director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. With Mrs. Elizabeth C. Agassiz he wrote: "Seaside Studies in Natural History" (1865); "Marine Animals of Massachusetts Bay" (1871); and the fifth volume of "Contributions to the National History of the United States," left incomplete by his father.