George Howes (entomologist)

William George Howes (4 December 1879 – 20 February 1946) was a New Zealand entomologist and businessman.

William George Howes
Born4 December 1879[1]
Southbridge, Canterbury
Died20 February 1946(1946-02-20) (aged 66)
Resting placeAndersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin. Block 114. Plot 66
NationalityNew Zealander
CitizenshipNew Zealand
Scientific career
FieldsEntomology
InstitutionsG. Howes and Co.; University of Otago
Author abbrev. (zoology)Howes

Early life

Howes was born in 1879 at Southbridge. He was one of five surviving children of Cecilia Brown and William Howes, a post office clerk and accountant from England. His elder sister Edith, who would become a writer and educationalist, was born in 1872 before the family migrated to New Zealand.[2]

Career

Howes authored scientific papers on entomology, concentrating on New Zealand Lepidoptera, and described numerous species new to science.[3] The species Molophilus howesi was named in his honour.[4]

Howes was a member of a number of organisations including the Royal Entomological Society, Linnean Society of London, American Entomological Society, the Otago Chamber of Commerce, New Zealand Institute, Otago Acclimatisation Society where he sat on the council, and the Dunedin Naturalists Field Club for which he was president for many years.[5] For a quarter of a century, Howes was one of the directors of the Portobello Marine Biological Station.[6]

Due to his acknowledged entomological expertise, Howes was invited to be part of a scientific expedition to the Chatham Islands in 1924.[7][8]

Howes was involved in the planning, establishment and management of the aquarium at the New Zealand and South Seas International Exhibition in 1925 on Logan Park, Dunedin. When this was unable to be funded by the Acclimatisation Society or the City Corporation, Howes and others registered a private company Aquarium Ltd "to carry on the business of an aquarium at the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition at Dunedin."[9]

Death

Howes died suddenly on 20 February 1946 at Dunedin where he had lived most of his life. He was buried at Andersons Bay Cemetery. He was survived by his wife Beatrice and four children.[6]

References

  1. Birth certificate registration number 1880/1517; Department of Internal Affairs
  2. Murray, Heather. "Howes, Edith Annie". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  3. Miller, David (1946). "Obituary. William George Howes (1879–1946)". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 76 (2): 262–263. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  4. Alexander, Charles P. (1923). "XVII. New or little-known Tipulidae (Diptera). XIV. Australisian Species". The Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 9th ser. v. 11: 193–208. doi:10.1080/00222932308632839. ISSN 0374-5481.
  5. Salmon, J.T. (1975). "W.G.Howes (1879–1946)". N.Z. Nat. Heritage. 6 (78): Back Cover. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  6. "Obituary". Evening Star. No. 25723. 21 February 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  7. "The Chatham Islands". Otago Daily Times. No. 19076. 23 January 1924. p. 6. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  8. "Chatham Islands Expedition". Evening Star. No. 18558. 14 February 1924. p. 10. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  9. "Commercial". Otago Daily Times. No. 19447. 4 April 1925. p. 8. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
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