Charles Valentine Riley collection, 1868-1919

Riley, Charles V.

Charles Valentine Riley collection, 1868-1919

1868-1919

Riley, Charles V. (Charles Valentine)

The Charles Valentine Riley Collection consists of letters to Riley, unpublished lectures, notes, photographs, news clippings, reports, reprints, paintings, drawings, sketch books, books, and artifacts. The collection focuses on the history of entomology and the development of biological control of insects injurious to crops, and on Riley's energetic efforts on its behalf during the latter part of the 19th century.

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AGROVOC Keywords

biological control entomologists entomology history insect pests

Bibliographic information

Other Subjects

Archival resources; United states

Language

English

Note

Charles Valentine Riley Collection. Special Collections, USDA National Agricultural Library.

Charles Valentine Riley (1843-1895) was a visual artist and entomologist. Born in England, Riley settled in the United States in 1850. He had grown up studying and sketching insects, and he quickly began to apply his abilities while working for Prairie Farmer, a Chicago-based agricultural journal. In 1868, Riley was recommended for and appointed to the post of entomologist for the state of Missouri. In this capacity, he not only became a distinguished entomologist, but he also revolutionized the entire field of entomology. In 1878, Riley became the second Chief Entomologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, succeeding Townend Glover. Riley held this position over a period of 17 years, having parted with the USDA briefly from 1880 to 1881 over a procedural dispute. During the 1880s, Riley was also closely involved with the U.S. National Museum (now the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History), to which he donated his collection of over 100,000 insect specimens. He served as an assistant curator for the museum, specializing in insects. Riley worked in both capacities until his death in 1895.

Type

Mixed Material; Text; Monographic

In AGRIS since: 2024-02-27

Modification date: 2025-04-22

Format: MODS

Data Provider

This bibliographic record has been provided by National Agricultural Library

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Links

https://archivesspace.nal.usda.gov/repositories/4/resources/610/

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