Ayer, Edward Everett, 1841-1927

Edward Everett Ayer (Nov. 16, 1841 -- May 3, 1927), businessman, bibiliophile and collector. In 1860 he joined an overland expedition to California. He stopped in Nevada, where he worked at a quarz mill in Silver City, but soon moved on to San Francisco. He remained there, working at a planing mill, until the outbread of the Civil War. He enlisted in the 1st Regiment of California Cavalry Volunteers, and was later transferred to the 1st Regiment of New Mexico Infantry. Ayer served in many posts in the Southwest (including near Los Angeles and in Arizona and New Mexico). He was mustered out in the summer of 1864, having reached the rank of lieutenant. He then returned to him in Harvard, Ill to begin his business career. In 1880, he moved to Chicago and in 1893, together with John B. Lord, formed the Ayer & Lord Tie Company. Ayer, who had been fascinated with history ever since he chanced upon a copy of Prescott's Conquest of Mexico while soldier in Arizona, became an avid collector of historical books and manuscripts. In 1911, he gave his collection of books, manuscripts, maps, and drawings to the Newberry Library. Ayer was also one of the founders of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and served as its president from 1893 and 1898. Ayer presented to it his extensive collection of Indian artifacts, his collection of book on ornitology, and antiquities. He was a trustee of the Newberry Library, a trustee of the Art Institute, president of the Archeological Society, and a member of numerous historical associations. He also served on the Board of Indian Commissioners, and in 1913 conduced an investigation of the Menomonee Reservation in Wisconsin. He and his wife, Emma August Burbank Ayer, made numerous trips abroad, often by automobile. He spent much time in California where he was known for his effort to save redwood forests. He died in Pasadena, Calif. and was buried in Harvard, Ill.

From the description of Reminiscences of Edward E. Ayer, 1899-1925. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 84649947

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