Bartlett, Bob, 1875-1946

Variant names

Hide Profile

Robert Abram Bartlett (b. August 15, 1875, Brigus, Newfoundland-d. April 28, 1946, New York City), ship captain and Arctic explorer, piloted numerous expeditions to Greenland and locations in the Arctic Circle. He piloted Admiral Peary's vessel Roosevelt during the 1906 attempt to reach the North Pole. Later he was master of schooner Effie M. Morrissey. Beginning in the mid-1920's, he collected zoological specimens for the United States National Museum (USNM) on his many expeditions to the Arctic. Expeditions by Bartlett include the Bartlett Northeast Greenland Expedition, the Bartlett Northwest Greenland Expedition, and the Expedition to Greenland and Ellesmere Land. Working for George Palmer Putnam, he piloted the schooner Effie M. Morrissey from Rye, New York, to Baffin Island in 1927. He took command of his first vessel at the age of seventeen, serving primarily in sealing and trading ships before obtaining his master's certificate in 1898. Bartlett first encountered the American explorer Robert Edwin Peary in 1898 when he joined the United States North Polar expedition, 1898-1902 (leader Robert Peary), serving as mate in Windward between 1898 and 1899, and again in 1902. Returning north with Peary, he commanded Roosevelt in the United States North Polar Expedition, 1905-1906 (leader Robert Edwin Peary), in an unsuccessful attempt to reach the North Pole by way of Smith Sound. In 1908, Bartlett accompanied Peary in his final bid to reach the North Pole, commanding Roosevelt on the United States Polar expedition, 1908-1909 (leader Robert Edwin Peary). The ship sailed from New York in July 1908, reaching its winter quarters at Cape Sheridan, north-east Ellesmere Island on 5 September. Setting out from Cape Columbia in February 1909, Bartlett led the first advance party, reaching latitude 87° 47 minutes North before being sent back on 1 April 1909. In 1910 Bartlett returned to the Arctic as captain of Beothic on the United States Sport-hunting Expedition, which brought back live specimens of Arctic animals for the Bronx Zoo, New York. In 1913 Barlett joined the Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-1918 (leader Vilhjalmur Stefansson), as captain of Karluk. The ship was originally attached to the Northern Division of this expedition, and assigned the role of establishing a base for Stefansson and the scientists on the north-western fringe of the Canadian Arctic archipelago. However, after transporting Stefansson to Alaska, she became beset in the ice and sank on 11 January 1914. After establishing a camp on the ice at the site of the wreck, Bartlett led the remaining crew members to Ostrov Vrangelya (Wrangell Island) in February 1914. Setting out on an epic journey to seek help, he and an Eskimo companion reached the Siberian coast in April before proceeding to the Bering Strait and thence over to Alaska where he organized the rescue of the Karluk survivors. During the First World War, Bartlett served in the United States Army Transport Command and in the U.S. Navy. In 1917, he returned to the Arctic as captain of Neptune, the relief ship for the United States Crocker Land Expedition, 1913-1917 (leader Donald MacMillan). After his plan for a drift voyage from Alaska over the Pole to Greenland foundered due to lack of funding, he acquired the schooner Effie M. Morrissey in 1925, commanding her for twenty years in voyages exploring both Northeast and Northwest Greenland and parts of the Canadian Arctic. He died on 28 April 1946 in New York City. From the guide to the Robert Bartlett collection, 1930-1937, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Bartlett, Bob, 1875-1946. Collection, 1935-1948. University of Arizona Libraries
referencedIn General Records of the Department of the Navy. 1941 - 2004. Moving Images Relating to Military Activities. 1947 - 1980. CAPTAIN BARTLETT'S PRE-WAR FOOTAGE OF THE FAR EAST National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Robert Abram Bartlett Papers (M008), 1888-1946 Bowdoin College
creatorOf Bartlett, Bob, 1875-1946. Letter [ca. 1928 Nov] Thanksgiving, New York, to Prof. [W.H.] Hobbs [Ann Arbor]. University of Michigan. Special Collections Library
referencedIn General Records of the Department of the Navy. 1941 - 2004. Moving Images Relating to Military Activities. 1947 - 1980. CAPTAIN BARTLETT'S PRE-WAR ASIATIC FOOTAGE National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Turner, Daniel S., 1917-2001. Oral history interview with Daniel S. Turner, [sound recording], 1995. Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center
creatorOf Robert Bartlett Collection, 1930-1937 Scott Polar Research Institute
referencedIn Bob Bartlett and local inhabitant aboard ship during Bartlett's Arctic Expedition Smithsonian Institution Archives
referencedIn Capt. Bartlett and crew of the Steamer 'Roosevelt Mystic Seaport Museum
referencedIn Rear Adm. Robert E. Peary Papers. 1798 - 1976. Marie Peary Kuhne's Lantern Slides Taken During The Peary Memorial Expedition to Greenland National Archives at College Park
creatorOf George F. Pierrot papers, 1898-1980 Detroit (Mich.). Public Library. Burton Historical Collection.
referencedIn Photographs from the Samuel Alfred Barrett papers [graphic] : additions. ca. 1900-ca. 1939. UC Berkeley Libraries
creatorOf John Munro Papers, 1909-1914. Rauner Special Collections Library
referencedIn General Records of the Department of the Navy. 1941 - 2004. Moving Images Relating to Military Activities. 1947 - 1980. CAPTAIN BARTLETT'S PRE-WAR ASIATIC FOOTAGE National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Correspondence to Franklin Baldwin Wiley, 1921. University of Pennsylvania Library
referencedIn General Records of the Department of the Navy. 1941 - 2004. Moving Images Relating to Military Activities. 1947 - 1980. CAPTAIN BARTLETT'S PRE-WAR FILM OF THE ORIENT National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Robert Bartlett Papers, 1931-1946. G. W. Blunt White Library
referencedIn General Records of the Department of the Navy. 1941 - 2004. Moving Images Relating to Military Activities. 1947 - 1980. CAPTAIN BARTLETT'S PRE-WAR FOOTAGE OF THE FAR EAST National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Bartlett, Bob, 1875-1946. Papers, 1911-1958. Rauner Special Collections Library
creatorOf Robert Bartlett Papers, 1931-1946. G. W. Blunt White Library
referencedIn Robert Bartlett collection, 1930-1937 Scott Polar Research Institute
referencedIn Rear Adm. Robert E. Peary Papers. 1798 - 1976. North Pole Diaries. 1909 - 1909. Diary of Robert E. Peary National Archives at College Park
referencedIn New York Times Company Records. Adolph S. Ochs papers 1853-2006 [bulk 1904-1933] New York Public Library
creatorOf Bartlett, Bob, 1875-1946. Photographic collection, 1930-[ca. 1946]. American Museum of Natural History Library
contributorOf Norcross-Bartlett Expedition, Foxe Basin and vicinity, 1933 Smithsonian Institution Archives
referencedIn General Records of the Department of the Navy. 1941 - 2004. Moving Images Relating to Military Activities. 1947 - 1980. CAPTAIN BARTLETT'S FOOTAGE (PRE-WAR) OF THE FAR EAST National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Peary, Robert E. (Robert Edwin), 1856-1920. Papers, 1889-1970. Rauner Special Collections Library
creatorOf Bartlett, Bob, 1875-1946. Letters, 1929-1931, to Perry Walton, Boston. Boston Athenaeum
referencedIn New York Times Company records. Arthur Hays Sulzberger papers, 1823-1999 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
creatorOf Field Notes, Robert A. Bartlett, Greenland Expedition, 1940 Smithsonian Institution Archives
creatorOf Roy Chapman Andrews papers, 1987 Accession, 1920-1947 (bulk 1934-1944) American Museum of Natural History
creatorOf Robert Bartlett collection, 1930-1937 Scott Polar Research Institute
referencedIn Gannett, Lewis, 1891-1966. Papers, 1681-1966 (bulk 1900-1960) Houghton Library
referencedIn Bassett Jones (collector) records, 1818-1938. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
creatorOf Robert Bartlett Collection, 1930-1937 Scott Polar Research Institute
referencedIn American Film Institute Collection. 1913 - 1960. Assorted Films. 1913 - 1960. National Archives at College Park
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith American Geographical Society of New York corporateBody
associatedWith American Museum of Natural History. corporateBody
associatedWith Andrews, Roy Chapman, 1884-1960. person
memberOf Baffin Island Expedition (1927) corporateBody
associatedWith Barrett, S. A. (Samuel Alfred), 1879-1965. person
memberOf Bartlett Arctic Expeditions (1928-1947) corporateBody
memberOf Bartlett Northeast Greenland Expedition. corporateBody
memberOf Bartlett Northwest Greenland Expedition. corporateBody
associatedWith Bartlett Robert Abram 1875-1946 person
associatedWith Boyd, Louise Arner, 1887-1972 person
associatedWith Canadian Arctic Expedition (1913-1918) corporateBody
associatedWith Canadian Arctic Expedition Arctic Archipelago 1913-1918 corporateBody
associatedWith Chicago Zoological Society (Ill.) corporateBody
ownerOf Effie M. Morrissey (Schooner) corporateBody
memberOf Expedition to Greenland and Ellesmere Land. corporateBody
memberOf Explorers Club corporateBody
associatedWith Field Museum of Natural History corporateBody
correspondedWith Gannett, Lewis, 1891-1966 person
correspondedWith Gould, Laurence McKinley, 1896-1995 person
memberOf Greenland Expedition of 1936 corporateBody
memberOf Greenland Expedition of 1937 corporateBody
memberOf Greenland Expedition of 1939 corporateBody
associatedWith Hale, Ralph T. (Ralph Tracy), b. 1880. person
associatedWith Haslam, Greville. person
correspondedWith Hatch, Southmayd person
associatedWith Hobbs, William Herbert, 1864-1952. person
associatedWith Jones, Bassett, collector. person
associatedWith Karluk (Ship) corporateBody
associatedWith Lance, H. person
associatedWith Mill Hugh Robert 1861-1950 person
associatedWith Morris, Ralph Bartlett, person
associatedWith Morrissey (Ship) corporateBody
associatedWith Munro, John. person
associatedWith Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation. corporateBody
associatedWith New York Botanical Garden corporateBody
associatedWith New York Times Company corporateBody
memberOf Norcross-Bartlett Expedition to Northeast Greenland (1931) corporateBody
associatedWith Peary Robert Edwin 1856-1920 person
correspondedWith Peary, Robert E. (Robert Edwin), 1856-1920. person
associatedWith Pierrot, George F., 1898-1980 person
associatedWith Pond, James B. (James Burton), 1838-1903. person
associatedWith Pope, John Alexander, 1906-1982 person
associatedWith Puza, Frank. person
associatedWith Robert Bob Abram Bartlett person
associatedWith Roosevelt (Ship : 1904-1937) corporateBody
associatedWith Smithsonian institution corporateBody
associatedWith Turner, Daniel S., 1917-2001 person
associatedWith United States North Polar Expedition Canada and Arctic Ocean 1905-1906 corporateBody
associatedWith United States North Polar Expedition Greenland and Canada 1898-1902 corporateBody
associatedWith United States Polar Expedition Canada and Arctic Ocean 1908-1909 corporateBody
associatedWith Walton, Perry, 1865-1941. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
North Pole
Arctic regions Discovery and exploration
Arctic regions
Brigus (N.L.)
Newfoundland and Labrador 05 CA
New York NY US
Greenland 00 GL
Subject
Adventure and adventurers
Anthropology
Eskimos
Eskimos
Icebergs
Schooners
Voyages and travels
Walrus
Zoology
Occupation
Explorers
Ship captains
Activity

Person

Birth 1875-08-15

Death 1946-04-28

Canadians

English

Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6tr6qfn

Ark ID: w6tr6qfn

SNAC ID: 83208785