The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1902-12-12

Ludwig Kumlien, M. A., professor of
natural history and physiology at Milton
college, whose condition had been criti-
cal for several days, died Thursday Dec.
4th. Prof Kumlien was obliged to give
up work in the college in the middle of
the spring term owing to throat affec-
ton which proved to be cancer. He was
treated for time in Milwaukee and
spent over two months in Chicago, where
he was subjected to the X-ray treatment
which gave temporary relief only. The
operation of tracheotomy was finally per-
formed as last resort, but his life was
only prolonged.
Prof. Kumlien is the third member of
the Milton college faculty to be removed
by death within few months, the other
two being President William G. Whitford
and his wife, who died last May. IL
Ludwig Kumlien was the son of Prof.
Thure Kumlien, an eminent scientist,
and was born March Is, 1853, in Sumner,
Jefferson county, Wis. He was an en-
thusiastic naturalist from boyhood, hav-
ing inherited his fathers tastes and
ability in that direction. He completed
in 1873 a course in Albion academy, of
which his father was professor of nat
ural history for several years, and then
spent some time as a special student in
the state university at Madison. He was
soon after employed by the government
as an assistant to the United States fish
commission and held a similar position
in the Smithsonian institution at Wash
ington. In 1877 and 1878 he accompani-
ed the Hawgate Polar expedition to the
Arctic regions as the naturalist of the
party and made valuable contributions
to the knowledge of the fauna and flora
of the frozen north. AS special agent of
the tenth census he spent two years in
Investigating the fisheries of the great
lakes, st. Lawrence river, Narragansett
and Buzzard's bay and Long Island
sound and other parts of the country.
He has been member of the American
archaeological union since 1875. He was
contributor to North American Birds
and to Water Birds by Baird, Brewer &
Ridgeway, and author of ontirbutions
to the Natural History of Arctic Amer
ica, bulletin of the United States Ma
tional museum, 1879. He was contrib
utor to the Life History of North Allan
tic Seals, 1880, and associate author with
President David Starr Jordan of Leland
Stanford Jr. university, Dr. G Brown
Goode and others of North American
Food Fishes" issued by the National
museum, 1881-S3, and prepared the spec
ial census reports on fisheries of the
great lakes 1883.
He was engaged on volume, Birds
of Wisconsin," on which he was ack-
nowledged authority, at the time of his
death. From 1889 to 1891 he was an in
structor in Albion academy and since 81
has been the professor of natural history
and physiology in Milton college. With
in the last few years he has prepared
scientific collections for several of the
state normal schools and other institu-
tons, and himself possessed one of the
most complete and valuable collections
of birds, eggs and nests ia existence in
private hands.
Prof. Kumlien was married Dec. 81,
1892, to Annabel Carr, daughter of the
Hon. J. G. Carr of Milton, and leaves
three children and a widow. The funera,
was held Saturday at p. m. in the Sew
enth Day Baptist church.