Ernest P. Walker

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Ernest Pillsbury Walker (born June 5, 1891 in Blue Springs , Missouri , † January 31, 1969 in Rockville , Maryland ) was an American zoologist. His research focus was on mammals.

Live and act

Walker was born in Blue Springs, Missouri, the son of druggist EJ Walker and wife Avis Pillsbury. He grew up on farms in Indiana , Colorado and Utah , where he developed a fascination for nature and wildlife observation as a child. After studying biology at the University of Wyoming , Walker went to Alaska, where he worked as a game warden and inspector for the US Bureau of Fisheries . During his stay in Alaska between 1913 and 1919 he married Astrid Shafsted. From 1919 to 1921 he worked as a gamekeeper in Arizona and California. In 1921 he returned to Alaska, where he received a position as game warden, official and investment trustee with the Alaska Game Commission.

In 1927, Walker came to Washington, DC, where he worked for the National Zoo under director William M. Mann (1886-1960) . From 1930 to 1956 he was deputy director of the zoo.

Although Walker is a frequent contributor to zoological articles for prestigious publications such as National Geographic Magazine , The Saturday Evening Post, and The Illustrated London News , his name is inextricably linked to the standard work Mammals of the World , published in three volumes in 1964 and from 1968 to 1999 the authors John L. Paradiso and Ronald M. Nowak was continued in five further editions. Walker has also written books for the Animal Welfare Institute, including First Aid and Care of Small Mammals and Studying Small Mammals.

Walker was a founding member of the American Society of Mammalogists . He was a Freemason and was active in the Mount Juneau Lodge while in Alaska. In 1927 he was elected to the Washington Biologists' Field Club and in 1961 an honorary member of the club.

After his wife's death in 1961, Walker lived on his sister's estate in Arlington , Virginia for several years . Walker died of heart failure on January 31, 1969 in a motel in Rockville, Maryland.

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personal data
SURNAME Walker, Ernest P.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Walker, Ernest Pillsbury (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American zoologist
DATE OF BIRTH June 5, 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH Blue Springs , Missouri
DATE OF DEATH January 31, 1969
Place of death Rockville , Maryland