Waterhouse, Gustavus Athol (Athol) (1877 - 1950)

Summary

Athol Waterhouse was an entomologist whose profession was assayer at the Sydney Mint but whose primary interest was butterflies which he started collecting as a young boy. He was noted as being a meticulous taxonomist. In 1919 he became Honorary Entomologist at the Australian Museum, later being a Trustee for over 20 years and President. His pioneering books were The butterflies of Australia (1914), written with George Lyell, and What butterfly is that? A guide to the butterflies of Australia (1932) illustrated by Neville W. Cayley. Waterhouse was an active member and office bearer of local scientific societies including the Royal Zoological, Linnean and Royal Societies of New South Wales. He was instrumental in the establishment of Science House in Sydney as the permanent home of Sydney's scientific societies. When President of the Australian Museum he presented it with his collection and entomological library. In retirement he devoted much time to identifying butterfly specimens stolen from Australian Museum and other repositories so that they might be returned.

Details

Chronology

1899

Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Sydney

1900

Education - Bachelor of Engineering (Mining), University of Sydney

1900 - 1926

Career position - Assistant Assayer, Royal Mint, Sydney

1906 - 1907

Career position - President, Field Naturalists’ Society of New South Wales

1912 - 1943

Career position - Member of Council, Linnean Society of New South Wales

1914 - 1915

Career position - President, Field Naturalists’ Society of New South Wales

1919 - 1950

Career position - Honorary Entomologist, Australian Museum

1921 - 1923

Career position - President, Linnean Society of New South Wales

1921 - 1950

Career position - Foundation Councillor (Zoology), Australian National Research Council

1923 - 1925

Career position - Secretary, Royal Society of New South Wales

1924

Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Sydney

1924 - 1925

Career position - President, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales

1926 - 1928

Career position - Treasurer, Linnean Society of New South Wales

1926 - 1947

Career position - Trustee, Australian Museum

1928 - 1929

Career position - Curator and Executive Officer, CSIR Division of Economic Entomology

1930

Career position - President, Australian Museum

1930 - 1943

Career position - Treasurer, Linnean Society of New South Wales

1931

Award - Elected Fellow, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales

1934 - 1946

Career position - Treasurer, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science

1937 -

Career event - Fellow, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS)

1937

Career position - President, Section D (Zoology), Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science

1943

Award - Elected Life Member, Royal Entomological Society

Related entries

Archival resources

Australian Museum

• Gustavus Athol Waterhouse - Records, 1914 - 1924, Series 41; Australian Museum. Details

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Corporate Records and Archives Strategies

• Gustavus Athol Waterhouse - Records, 1928 - 1929; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Corporate Records and Archives Strategies. Details

Published resources

Books

• Musgrave, A., Bibliography of Australian entomology, 1775-1930: with biographical notes on authors and collectors (Sydney: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, 1932), 380 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Evans, J. W., 'Waterhouse, Gustavus Athol (1877-1950)' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 12: 1891 - 1939 Smy-Z, John Ritchie, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1990), pp. 390-391. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A120439b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• A. B. W. and A. J. Nicholson [ie Arthur B. Walkom and Alexander J. Nicholson], 'Gustavus Athol Waterhouse, 1877-1950 (Memorial series, no. 14)', Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 78 (5/6) (1953), 269-275. Details
• Musgrave, A., 'Obituary: Gustavus Athol Waterhouse', Australian Journal of Science, 13 (3) (1950), 75-76. Details
• Waterhouse, G. A., 'Notes on the type specimens of Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera) in the museums in Australia, with special reference to those in the South Australian Museum', Records of the South Australian Museum, 5 (1933), 49-62. Details
• Waterhouse, G. A., 'Presidential Address: The biology and taxonomy of the Australasian butterflies [Section D - Zoology]', Report of the twenty-third meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science, Auckland meeting, January, 1937 (1937), 101-133. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5621543. Details
• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/621151247929844270005. Details
• CA 2001, Australian Imperial Force, Base Records Office, 'NAA: MT1486/1, WATERHOUSE/GUSTAVUS ATHOL', MT1486/1 Applications to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force, National Archives of Australia, RecordSearch, https://RecordSearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=60234268. Details
• 'Waterhouse, G A (1877-1950)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-602383. Details

See also

• Lambkin, Kevin J., 'Conrad Kelsall: 'Butterflying' on the Little Mulgrave River, north Queensland, in 1903', Archives of Natural History, 40 (2013), 111-8. Details
• Prince, J. H., The first one hundred years of the Royal Zoological Society of N.S.W. 1879 - 1979 (Sydney: Royal Zoolgical Society of New South Wales, 1979), 81 pp. Details