Correspondence, 1933 - 1970

The Correspondence series comprises the bulk of this collection and is divided into four chronological subseries. While the vast majority of its contents date from Fairfield Osborn’s tenure as NYZS President (1940-1968), the series contains some earlier correspondence Osborn inherited from his predecessors as well as some correspondence created after his death. Additionally, while the bulk of the series consists of Fairfield Osborn’s incoming and outgoing correspondence, it also contains hundreds of letters by others of which Osborn received a copy; most heavily represented among these are letters by NYZS staff members John Tee-Van, William Conway, George Merck, and Harold Palmer.

The records in this series reflect Osborn’s strong involvement in all aspects of the New York Zoological Society’s activities, from his role as the head of NYZS’s Board of Trustees to his engagement with the day-to-day operations of the Bronx Zoo and the New York Aquarium. On the Zoo and Aquarium front, heavily represented subjects include the reopening of the New York Aquarium at Coney Island in 1957, the opening of the Osborn Laboratories for Marine Sciences at the Aquarium in 1967, and the development of new Bronx Zoo exhibits (including the never-completed New York State Conservation Exhibit). Correspondents on these subjects include zoo and aquarium staff, local government officials, and funders. Also included are several files on zoo and aquarium employee relations, especially surrounding the 1961 strike by Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium employees. Although the series includes files titled “Aquarium” and “Zoological Park,” materials concerning the New York Aquarium and Bronx Zoo are dispersed throughout the series.

Much of this series also reflects Osborn’s role in expanding the Society’s international conservation efforts, both through NYZS itself and through its offshoot, the Conservation Foundation. Osborn was actively engaged with the scientists carrying out these efforts, and the series includes correspondence between Osborn and such figures as John Emlen, George Schaller, and Oliver Milton. In some ways, the Society’s conservation work grew from its field research program instituted by William Beebe and known as the Department of Tropical Research. Osborn was both Beebe’s boss and his friend, and letters in this series reflect their professional and personal relationships; the series also contains correspondence with other DTR staff, including Jocelyn Crane, who assumed the position of DTR Assistant Director upon Beebe’s retirement and later Director upon his death.

Also represented in this series is the Society’s work in establishing the Jackson Hole Wildlife Park in 1948, with the help of NYZS Trustee Laurance Rockefeller and the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission. The series includes correspondence, agreements, and maps related to the park and its management.