Professor Albert Smith Bickmore (1 March 1839–12 August 1914)

American naturalist. Bickmore was founder of the American Museum of Natural History, New York. Born in Maine. Bickmore studied under Louis Agassiz, the biologist and geologist at Harvard University. He began his career cataloguing specimens in the basement of Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology. He soon conceived of building a national museum to the natural world which he determined should be in New York City. Supported by an introductory letter from the head of the British Museum Bickmore persuaded investors including JP Morgan and local politicians to fund his project. Bickmore worked to expand the collection and served as the museum's only member of science staff during the first decade of the museum's existence. He also promoted the teaching of science by converting a research area into a lecture theatre and offering free lectures to public school teachers. In 1868 his book Travels in the East Indian Archipelago was published.