J. W. P. Jenks

John Whipple Potter "J. W. P." Jenks (1819–1894) was an American school principal, zoologist, taxidermy collector, and museum curator.[1] He taught in the South for a few years before marrying into a prominent family and heading Pierce Academy in Middleborough, Massachusetts. After he retired from there he returned to his alma mater, Brown University, established a natural history museum there and taught zoology.

Jenks' book Huntings in Florida recounts his at times arduous expedition to Florida shooting birds, collecting eggs, hunting game, and encountering wildlife including the Carolina parakeet, sawfish, wild cats, mosquitoes, and many gators.[2]

John Cassin acquired some of his collection. Jenks's "lost" museum was recreated and put on display at Brown University.[3]

  1. ^ Guild, Reuben Aldridge (July 27, 1895). "Memorial address on the late John Whipple Potter Jenks : Professor of Zoology emeritus and curator of the museums : delivered before the faculty and students of Brown University, in Savles Memorial Hall, February 6, 1895". Providence, R.I. : Casey Bros. – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ ...Hunting in Florida in 1874. Self-Published. 1874.
  3. ^ "Inside the Lost Museum". library.brown.edu. Retrieved April 4, 2024.