The Great American Zoologist

By Theodore J. Holsten, B&C Emeritus Member, excerpt from Fair Chase Magazine

When Professional Member Olaus J.

As a scientist, mountaineer, author, and incredibly good liar, Clarence King led a secret double life that has only recently come to light.

Henry Fairfield Osborn was admitted in 1899 as an Associate Member (now called Professional Member) and by 1913 had been elected as an Honorary Life Member. As of 2021, only 42 Members have been so honored.

A Boone and Crockett Club member for 54 years, Lee Merriam Talbot was the primary author of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. That alone is a lifetime achievement, but there is so much more to the man who dedicated his life’s work to conservation—and humbly averted death numerous times. 

As a young boy, Thomas Gilbert Pearson killed more than a few egrets to make money by selling their feathers. As he got older, he shifted his efforts from market hunting to conservation. Pearson would eventually become a founding member of the National Audubon Society, active member of the Boone and Crockett Club and a friend to birds and big game alike.

John A. McGuire was a pioneer of outdoor journalism and an early member of the Boone and Crockett Club. As the founder of Outdoor Life magazine, he encouraged readers to ditch whatever responsibilities they had and take to the hills in search of life in the open.

McGuire was born in 1869, but little is documented about his early life.

Artist, Explorer, Hunter, Writer, Mountaineer – “The game’s up: we’ve got to get down.” With these words to his two companions, Belmore Browne conceded defeat only 125 feet from the summit of Mount McKinley, North America’s highest peak at 20,335 feet. A fierce gale, 55 miles per hour, along with blinding visibility and the temperature at –15° made it impossible to continue. They came so…

George Shiras III was a member of the Boone and Crockett Club, and a member of the governing board of the National Geographic Society for 25 years. He helped write legislation creating Olympic National Park. George also discovered several species of wildlife, including Alces americana shirasi, the “Yellowstone” moose.