Patton, William Hampton (1853-1918)

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
William Hampton Patton (10.III.1853-26.XII.1918) American. Specialist in Hymenoptera.

William Hampton Patton was born in \Yaterbury. Connecticut. March 10. 1853. and died in Hartford, Connecticut. December 26. 1918. He was the son of William Patton. and he prepared for college at \Yilliston Seminary, Easthampton, Massachusetts. He entered the academic department of Yale University in 1872 and, receiving a colloquy appointment in his senior year, graduated in the class of 1876 with the degree of B. A. Even before graduating. Mr. Patton was interested in the natural sciences, especially zoology and botany. After graduating he took two years of work in zoology at Yale, and during a part of this time served as assistant to Professor A. E. Yerrill. This was followed by two years of independent study at his home in \Yaterbury. During the summer of 1879. and from June 1880 to April 1881. he was a special agent of the United States Entomological Commission, at "Washington, D. C. of which Dr. C. Y. Riley was chairman. Dr. Riley was Government Entomologist from June 1878 until March 1879. when he resigned, and Professor J. H. Comstock was appointed to the position and held office until March 1881. Riley returned soon afterward. During the time of Comstock's incumhency, Riley conducted the office of the U. S. Entomological Commission in his own house in Washington, and had for his assistants Messrs. E. A. Schwarz, W. H. Patton, H. G. Hubbard and W. S. Barnard. Mr. Schwarz states that all of these men were together at Selma, Alabama, in 1881. It is said that Dr. Riley met Patton at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and had been attracted to his published papers in the Canadian Entomologist. Patton specialized in the Hymenoptera and was more or less interested in the Proctotrypidae at the time when Dr. Howard began his work on the Chalcididae, and they had occasional conferences over parasitic Hymenoptera. Patton was a scholarly man, well educated and with an excellent knowledge of the literature ; his. work was careful and sound and is so regarded by Hymenopterists to this day. He had an excellent personal appearance, but was rather shy and retiring, somewhat typical of the young professor in a large university. Few became intimate with him, but all recognized his broad general knowledge, his keenness, and especially his extensive acquaintance with the literature of all groups of insects. He took nothing for granted and was loath to believe personal and even recorded statements until he had investigated them for himself. While Patton was in Washington his father became very ill, and he left Washington and nursed him through his final illness. He was indefatigable in his care of the patient and. losing sleep and rest, had a nervous breakdown after his father's" death. From that time on he acted strangely and was finally placed in a private asylum in New Haven. He escaped from the asylum and reappeared in Washington in 1882, in worn clothes and in poor physical condition, and Dr. Riley promptly gave him a job in the U. S. Department of Agriculture. He worked only a few days, when news came to the office from his boarding house keeper that he was acting strangely, and Dr. Riley and Dr. Howard at once visited him and finding him absolutely insane, arranged with the police authorities to take him back to the asylum in New Haven. Patton was not continuously insane, but had long lucid periods extending over many months, during which he accomplished considerable entomological work, and some of his manuscripts were sent to the Bureau of Entomology to be placed, for publication. From 1882 to 1885 Patton resided in New York City, Utica and Rochester, New York, and West Randolph, Vermont, but returned to Connecticut suffering from ill health due to too close application to work. At first he was in a retreat in New Haven, and Dr. Howard called upon him in 1894, and found him perfectly lucid, and had an interesting talk about entomological matters. For a number of years before his death he was an inmate of the Hartford Retreat for the Insane at 400 Washington Street, Hartford. Soon after the office of State Entomologist was established in Connecticut, in 1901, Patton wrote a few letters to the office, calling attention to certain entomological points that needed investigating. His letters were perfectly lucid. He once asked to be appointed as inspector, and again asked for the loan of fifty dollars to enable him to bring certain essential entomological discoveries before the public. Not knowing that he was insane and confined in a retreat, the State Entomologist promised to be in Hartford on an early named date and asked Patton to meet him at a certain hour and place and talk about it. Of course Patton was not there, and not long afterward Professor Yerrill gave the information regarding Patton's insanity. He was unmarried, and apparently his insanity was inherited. His sister became insane and drowned herself in 1897 or 1898. Patton's death resulted from valvular disease of the heart and arteriosclerosis. Patton was a member of both the American and British Associations for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of the Entomological Society of London, a charter member of the Biological Society of Washington. D. C, a member of the Entomological Society of Ontario, and of the Connecticut Academy of Science. It is interesting to note that Patton was once a pupil of H. F. Bassett, also a Hymenopterist, of Waterbury. CT.

TAXONOMIC PUBLICATIONS

 * Patton, W. H. 1879. A gall-inhabiting ant. Am. Nat. 13: 126-127.


 * Patton, W. H. 1894. Habits of the leaping-ant of southern Georgia. Am. Nat. 28: 618-619

REFERENCE

 * W.E. Britton, and L.O. Howard. 1921. (3 Feb.). William Hampton Patton. Entomological News 32:33-40, pl. I.