Leon Jacob Cole

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Leon J. Cole
Born(1877-06-01)June 1, 1877
University of Wisconsin

Leon Jacob Cole (June 1, 1877 – February 17, 1948) was an American geneticist and ornithologist.

Biography

Early life and family

Cole was born on June 1, 1877, in

Michigan Agricultural College and later at the University of Michigan, from which he graduated in 1901.[1][2] In 1906, Cole received his PhD from Harvard University.[1][2] In that same year, he married Margaret Belcher Goodenow; the couple had a daughter and a son.[1]

Breeding and genetics

During the period from 1906 to 1910 he was in charge of the Division of Animal Breeding and Pathology at the Rhode Island Experiment Station, as well as an instructor in zoology at Yale University.

He joined the

University of Wisconsin in 1910, to initiate the Department of Experimental Breeding, a forerunner of the university's Department of Genetics. He was made a professor in 1914, and held the title of Professor of Genetics from 1918 to 1947.[2][3]

Cole's contributions to genetics covered a wide scope of interests, and he collaborated with a diverse group of researchers from various university departments who studied a range of plants and animals. His department's research explored the genetic improvement of

ring doves. Along with papers considering plumage color, the team published work on the genetics of the birds' immunology, fertility, and physical defects.[2][4]

In 1923, at the request of Secretary

National Research Council.[4] He also served as president of the Wisconsin Academy of Arts and Sciences (1924–1927) and of the Genetics Society of America in 1940.[4]

In the 1920s,

eugenic effects of birth control.[4]

Bird banding

Beyond his accomplishments in genetics, Cole had a special interest in birds. He first proposed banding birds to study migration with a paper in 1902, "Suggestions for a Method of Studying the Migration of Birds."

American Ornithologists' Union, the American Bird Banding Association was established, with Cole as president.[2][5][6] In the period 1902–1922, Cole wrote seven papers on bird banding.[2] For these efforts, he is regarded as the father of American bird banding; however, his relocation to Wisconsin in 1910 curtailed his ability to pursue banding in the field.[2]

Expeditions

In 1899, Cole joined

Harriman Alaska Expedition.[1] On that expedition, he cultivated the friendship of bird artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes; much later, Fuertes made a painting of two of Cole's experimental ring doves, but apparently did not publish it.[2]

In 1904 he joined an expedition to

Woods Hole.[2][3]

Later life and death

Cole retired from his post as department chair in 1939.[4] He died in Madison, Wisconsin on February 17, 1948.[2]

Legacy and recognition

Cole received an honorary doctorate from

Michigan State College in 1945.[1][4]

Selected publications

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-684-19177-6
    .
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m McCabe, Robert A. (Fall 1979). "Wisconsin's Forgotten Ornithologist: Leon J. Cole" (PDF). The Passenger Pigeon. 41 (3). Wisconsin Society for Ornithology: 129–131. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  3. ^ a b "SIA RU007244, Cole, Leon J (Leon Jacob) 1877-1948, Leon J. Cole Photograph Collection, 1941 [graphic]". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  4. ^
    PMID 2670871
    . Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  5. ^ a b c Cole, Leon J. (June 1922). "The Early History of Bird Banding in America" (PDF). The Wilson Bulletin. 34 (2): 108–115. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  6. ^
    JSTOR 4079704
    . Retrieved 29 April 2013.
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