Anna Allen Wright

Anna Allen Wright
Born	Anna Maria Allen (1882-03-04)March 4, 1882 Buffalo, New York
Died	December 5, 1964(1964-12-05) (aged 82) Ithaca, New York
Alma mater	Cornell University
Occupation	Herpetologist
Notable work	Handbook of Frogs and Toads: The Frogs and Toads of the United States and Canada (1933); The Handbook of Snakes (1957)
Spouse	Albert Hazen Wright
Relatives	Arthur A. Allen (brother)

Anna Allen Wright (née Anna Maria Allen; 4 March 1882 – 5 December 1964)^[1] was an American herpetologist, and a recognized authority on the ecology and natural history of amphibians and reptiles.^[2]

Life

Anna Maria Allen was born in Buffalo, New York on 4 March 1882.^[1] She graduated from Cornell University in 1909, where she was elected to Sigma Xi.^[1] Her brother, Arthur A. Allen was an ornithologist.^[1]

In 1910, she married Albert Hazen Wright.^[3] They collaborated on natural history projects, writing and illustrating several books in the Handbooks of American Natural History series, published by Cornell University's Comstock Press.^[3] Their Handbook of Frogs and Toads: The Frogs and Toads of the United States and Canada was published in 1933, the first in Comstock's Handbook series.^[4][3][5] It was dedicated to "four American women who, in addition to serving the public and science generously, have in the last half-century contributed most notably to the study of this group".^[5] They were Mary Hewes Hinckley (1845–1944), Mary Cynthia Dickerson (1866–1923), Helen Dean King (1869–1955), and Helen Thompson Gaige (1890–1976).^[5] This unusual dedication in a scientific work of the period has been speculated to have been largely thanks to Anna.^[5]

The Handbook of Snakes (in three volumes) followed in 1957.^[6]

The Wrights traveled extensively in order to compile their handbooks, working to observe every species of snake in North America, gathering data and live specimens.^[2] The Handbook of Snakes contained more than 300 species and subspecies, with photographs, drawings, and distribution maps.^[2] These were accompanied by excerpts from the Wrights' field journals.^[2] Anna Allen Wright provided illustrations.^[5] The couple have been described as "constant companions in and out of science."^[5]

Wright also contributed 500 of her pictures to the Handbook of Turtles and Handbook of Lizards.^[1] She was known as a capable botanist and floriculturist, as well as a versatile naturalist.^[1]

Anna Allen Wright died at home in Ithaca, New York on 5 December 1964.^[1]

Legacy

Following her death, a memorial fund for the Cornell University Library was established in Wright's name.^[1]

In his foreword to the 1995 edition of The Handbook of Frogs and Toads, Roy McDiarmid wrote:

I would guess that no North American scientist in the first half of this century had a more profound effect on students interested in the ecological aspects of the natural history of frogs than Anna Allen and Albert Hazen Wright.^[5]

He also noted that although "Albert Hazen Wright received numerous accolades during his distinguished career", he was "unaware of any bestowed on Anna, even though she likely deserved many".^[5]

In 2019, the Handbook of Frogs and Toads was selected as one of Cornell University Press' 150 most notable books.^[4]

References

1. Hamilton, W. J. (1965). "Mrs. Anna A. Wright". Copeia. 1965 (1): 124–124. ISSN 0045-8511.
2. "Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada by Albert Hazen Wright | Paperback". Cornell University Press. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
3. Davis, Frederick Rowe (2007). The man who saved sea turtles : Archie Carr and the origins of conservation biology. Internet Archive. Oxford; New York : Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-531077-1.
4. Cornell University Press, Est. 1869 - Our First 150 Years. 2019.
5. Wright, Albert Hazen; Wright, Anna Allen (1995). Handbook of frogs and toads of the United States and Canada. Internet Archive. Ithaca, NY : Comstock Pub. Associates. ISBN 978-0-8014-8232-8.
6. Wright, Albert Hazen (1994). Handbook of snakes of the United States and Canada. Internet Archive. Ithaca : Comstock Pub. Associates. ISBN 978-0-8014-8214-4.