Arnold, Ralph, 1875-1961

Ralph Arnold was born in Marshalltown, Iowa, on April 14, 1875. His father, Delos Arnold, was a lawyer and Iowa state senator who became interested in the study of fossils after the discovery of crinoids fossils in LeGrand, Iowa. The Arnolds moved to Pasadena, California, in 1886, and Ralph attended both Pasadena High School and Throop Polytechnic School (now Cal Tech) before receiving his B.A. in geology and mining from Stanford in 1899. He continued at Stanford to complete his M.A. (1900) and Ph.D. (1902) in geology and paleontology. In 1899 Arnold married Frankie Winninette Stokes. The couple had two daughters, Winninette, who married chemist Richard M. Noyes, and Elizabeth (McKee). Arnold worked for the U.S. Geological Survey from 1900 to 1909, and from 1903-1909 published a variety of paleontological articles. He was active in petroleum surveys throughout the United States, and organized the Petroleum Branch of the U.S. Bureau of Mines. In 1910 he left the USGS and spent 1911-1916 surveying petroleum resources in Trinidad and Venezuela, about which experiences he later published a book, The first big oil hunt-Venezuela, 1911-1916. In the 1920s Arnold's interests turned to politics, and he was actively involved in the Herbert Hoover presidential campaign. He remained committed to the California Academy of Sciences, the Cooper Ornithological Society, and the Sierra Club, among other organizations. Arnold died in Santa Barbara in 1961.

From the description of Ralph Arnold addenda, c.1848-1961. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 772469592

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