Bartsch, Paul, 1871-1960

Bartsch came with his family from Bohemia to the United States in the 1880s. He attended high school in Burlington, Iowa where he spent a lot of time with the school principal collecting bird specimens. Bartsch earned Masters and a PhD from the University of Iowa, while simultaneously working at the U.S. National Museum of the Smithsonian Institution as an assistant to William H. Dahl in the Dept. of Mollusks. Bartsch succeeded Dahl, retiring in 1956. Bartsch and his wife retired to an estate on the Potomac River where they established a wildlife sanctuary.

From the description of Paul Bartsch ornithological papers, 1884-1942. (Iowa Sate Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 726646157

Paul Bartsch (1871-1960) taught biological science and zoology at The George Washington University (GW) from 1899 to 1939 and became a professor emeritus in 1937 through 1960. He was a zoologist who specialized in mollusks. Bartsch held many important positions throughout his life including, professor emeritus at GW and curator of the mollusks division of the US National Museum. Paul Bartsch was born in Silesia, Germany (currently Poland) in 1871. The Bartsch family immigrated to the United States in the 1880s, and settled down in Burlington, Iowa. Paul enrolled in sciences classes at the State University of Iowa; however, before completing his degree he left Iowa to work under William H. Dall, the honorary curator of the Division of Mollusks at the United States National Museum in Washington, DC. In 1914, Bartsch became the curator of the Division of Mollusks. His work at the Smithsonian led to many expeditions including those to the Philippines, Cuba, and the West Indies. He retired from his Smithsonian position in 1946. While at the Smithsonian, Bartsch continued his research work on mollusks in addition to teaching biology, zoology, and histology to university students. Bartsch taught histology in the medical school at Howard University and eventually became director of the Histological and Physiological laboratory, a position that lasted thirty-seven years. Furthermore, he started teaching science and zoology at the GW in 1899 and became Professor emeritus in 1937. Bartsch continued as Professor emeritus at GW until 1960.In addition to receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa (1905), Bartsch also received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from GW in 1937. Bartsch was also the president of numerous societies, including the Wild Flower Preservation Society (1920-1924), the Biological Society in Washington D.C. (1913-1915), and Vice President of the Washington Academy (1913-1915). Bartsch died in 1960.N.B. This history note was written in 2005

From the description of Paul Bartsch papers, 1894-1945. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 753992068

Born in Tuntschendorf, Silesia, Paul Bartsch (1871-1960) received an early interest in nature from his father, who was an entrepreneur and amateur naturalist, and an interest in medicine probably from his mother, who had received a degree in obstetrics at the University of Breslau. As a result of a depression in the 1880s, the elder Bartsch went into financial bankruptcy. By utilizing the last savings of Bartsch's mother, the Bartsch family was able to emigrate to the United States, finally settling down in Burlington, Iowa. Paul Bartsch was at first determined to become an ornithologist, but after talking to Professor Samuel Calvin, geologist at the State University of Iowa, he instead enrolled for course work which included a broad spectrum of the various sciences. Before completing his degree, Bartsch left for Washington, D.C., to accept a position as an aid with William H. Dall, honorary curator of the Division of Mollusks, United States National Museum. After entering into research on mollusks, Bartsch expanded his activities, pursuing ornithological investigations and teaching biology and zoology to university students. Interested in medicine and the biological training of medical students, Bartsch began teaching histology at the Medical School of Howard University in 1899. This position lasted for thirty-seven years when he became director of the Histological and Physiological Laboratory. In 1900, Bartsch began teaching zoology at George Washington University, becoming professor emeritus in 1945. Bartsch's work at the United States National Museum, meanwhile, led to his appointment as assistant curator of the Division of Mollusks in 1905, and then curator of that division in 1914. He retired from his duties at the Smithsonian Institution in 1946. Bartsch's work on explorations included positions as the Smithsonian representative on board the Albatross Philippine Expedition (1907-1909) and director of the Tomas Barrera expedition to Cuba (1914); he received the Walter Rathbone Bacon Travelling Scholarship to explore the West Indies (1928-1930) and was director of the first Johnson-Smithsonian deep-sea expedition to the West Indies (1933), all of which are documented to some extent in these papers. In his expedition to the West Indies Bartsch was aided by his friend Carlos de la Torre. This resulted in their collaboration on the publications regarding the Annulariidae of Cuba, the Bahamas, and Hispanola, and the Cyclophoridae of the Americas. Their monograph, "The Terrestrial Mollusks of the Family Urocoptidae in the Island of Cuba," is still unpublished. This collection contains almost no private correspondence (for official correspondence see Museum of Natural History, Division of Mollusks, Record Unit 73). Besides receiving his Ph.D. degree from the University of Iowa in 1905, Bartsch was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from George Washington University (1937). He was president of the Wild Flower Preservation Society (1920-1924), president of the Biological Society in Washington, D.C. (1913-1915), and vice-president of the Washington Academy (1913-1915), among other numerous memberships and offices which he held in scientific societies.

Smithsonian Institution Archives Field Book Project: Person : Description : rid_149_pid_EACP146