Spencer Fullerton Baird

Spencer Fullerton Baird
Spencer Fullerton Baird, as photographed by William Bell, 1867
2nd Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
In office 1878–1887
Preceded by	Joseph Henry
Succeeded by	Samuel Pierpont Langley
1st Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries
In office 1871–1887
Preceded by	none
Succeeded by	George Brown Goode
Personal details
Born	(1823-02-03)February 3, 1823 Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1]
Died	August 19, 1887(1887-08-19) (aged 64) Woods Hole, Massachusetts, U.S.[2]
Resting place	Oak Hill Cemetery Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education	Dickinson College Columbia University
Known for	Naturalist Ornithologist Ichthyologist Herpetologist Curator
Signature

Spencer Fullerton Baird (/ˈbɛərd/; February 3, 1823 – August 19, 1887) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, ichthyologist, herpetologist, and museum curator. Baird was the first curator to be named at the Smithsonian Institution. He eventually served as assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian from 1850 to 1878, and as Secretary from 1878 until 1887. He was dedicated to expanding the natural history collections of the Smithsonian which he increased from 6,000 specimens in 1850 to over 2 million by the time of his death.^[2] He also served as the U.S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries from 1871 to 1887 and published over 1,000 works during his lifetime.^[1]