Member

William was born in Eureka, Illinois, on December 8, 1872. He received a BS degree from Butler University in 1891 when he was 19 years old, having entered when he was 13. He received an MS degree in 1892, also from Butler University. William taught zoology at Central High School in Washington, D.C., and became the department head of biology at Washington High School. He also taught biology and chemistry at Western, Eastern, and McKinley High Schools. William taught science courses at Howard University and lectured on zoology at Georgetown University in 1898. In 1934, after teaching for 42 years he retired to Bradenton, Florida. In Sarasota and Englewood, Florida, he did research with tropical animals for a public health project. William gave his entire animal life collection and papers to the University of Florida. He also served on the board of editors for the latest edition of the Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary. William was a member the Cosmos Club and was active in the Masonic circles in Kensington, Maryland. He also was an avid member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Biological Society of Washington, Washington Academy of Science, and Natural Fisheries Society. His first wife, Annie McKnew, whom he married in 1902, was an art teacher for many years in the Washington, D.C., school system. They had a son in 1902 and a daughter in 1908. After his first wife died in 1938, he married Mary Bailey and they had a daughter and a son. William was a founding member of the Washington Biologists’ Field Club in 1900, served as president from 1901 to 1904, and became an honorary member in 1943. He died on January 26, 1947, at his home in Bradenton, Florida.