Samuel Phillips Verner | |
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| Born | Samuel Phillips Verner November 14, 1873[1] |
| Died | (aged 69)[1] |
| Resting place | Davidson River Cemetery, Transylvania County, North Carolina |
Samuel Phillips Verner (14 November 1873 – 9 October 1943) was an American missionary and explorer in the Congo Free State. Verner is best known for his engagement in trade of African animals and wares that were unavailable in the United States at the time and for being commissioned to exhibit African tribespeople for the human zoo at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri.
The best known among Verner's acquisitions was Ota Benga, the sole survivor of his clan, whom Verner bought from African slave traders and brought to the United States. Benga became one of the most popular attractions, referred to as "human spectacles", at the Exposition's human zoo and he was later featured in the Bronx Zoo until late 1906. Following a controversy over Benga's treatment there, George B. McClellan Jr., the mayor of New York City, ordered Benga's release while Verner received criticism for his negligent concession to the Bronx Zoo.