Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society 1929 David Crockett Graham (Chinese name: 葛維漢, pinyin: Ge Weihan; Wade–Giles: Kê Wei-han; 21 March 1884 – 15 September 1961) was a polymath American Baptist minister and missionary, educator, author, archaeologist, anthropologist, naturalist and field collector in the Province of Sichuan (formerly spelled Szechwan) during the Chinese Republican Era, from 1911 to 1948.

He wrote extensively and spent his retirement years, from 1950 to 1961, in Englewood, Colorado[3] compiling his writings and research into three books[4][5][6] that were published by the Smithsonian Institution.

[7] A fourth manuscript lay in the Whitman College and Northwest Archives until it was discovered by Hartmut Walravens, who edited it and published it in 2018.

When he was 4 years old, his mother died of TB,[9]: 181  and his older sister Elmina Elizabeth Graham (13 August 1876 – 4 July 1962), who had just turned 12, raised him.

This time his dissertation[13] reflected his ongoing research and studies in China and was subsequently published by the Smithsonian Institution.

He spent 1931 studying archaeology with Fay-Cooper Cole at the University of Chicago[15]: 227–228  and in the same year received an honorary Doctor of Science from Whitman College.

[1] He then went on to Harvard University, where he studied anthropology and archaeology theory under Alfred Tozzer and Earnest Hooton[15]: 228–229  as well as linguistics under R.B.

Sichuan (Szechuan) in West China was remote from the central government (normally in Nanjing), and required a two-month trip up the Yangtze River to reach Xuzhou.

The resulting Treaty of Versailles in 1919 awarded Germany's holdings in the Pacific, North of the equator, including Shandong, China, to Japan.

In the aftermath of the War, Chiang Kai-shek was severely weakened, the Chinese economy was ruined, inflation was rampant, and the Communist Revolution was gaining strength.

The May Fourth Movement and the Nanking Incident were prominent examples (the Boxer Rebellion antedated his time in China).

Graham came from humble and difficult beginnings, but also from a long line of devout Christians with many Baptist ministers among his forebears.

112, and spent a week in Shanghai lecturing at the Royal Asiatic Society on "The Customs, Art and Religion of the Chuan Miao".

[28] Second term in Chengdu 1940–1948 In his retirement years (1950–1961) in Englewood, Colorado, Graham was a member of the First Baptist Church of Denver and was a leader in the Social Action Committee.

While there doesn't appear to be any record of the origin of this choice, it seems to fit with his first term in Xuzhou and his humanitarian efforts during the civil war between Yunnan and Sichuan,[20][21][22][23][24] for which he received the Red Cross Medal from the Chinese Red Cross and later (in 1920) received a decoration of the first order from the governor of Yunnan for bravery.

[27] Graham first made formal arrangements with the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) at the Smithsonian on his furlough to the U.S. during 1918 and 1919.

[31] By 1930, Graham's interest in archaeology had been growing for years, as indicated by a 1926 article in support of the West China Union University (WCUU) Museum[32] and publications on the ancient caves of Sichuan.

[33][34][35] In early 1931, Graham left Xuzhou to return to the U.S. on furlough, in preparation for taking the position of Director of the WCUU Museum in Chengdu.

On his return to Sichuan in early 1933, Graham moved to Chengdu and began organizing and cataloging the stored holdings of the museum.

[36] Graham decided to investigate and headed up a team with the museum's assistant curator, Lin Min-Juin, to undertake an archaeological excavation.

[39] Graham dated the site to 1100 BC and earlier, believed there was a clear link to the cultures of central and northern China, and concluded that there was likely much more to be found in this area.

Around the time of his death in 1961, several sources stated that Graham had collected nearly 400,000 specimens from which were identified over 230 new species and 9 new genera.

Entering that (in quotes) for the Smithsonian's search term currently (as of 14 December 2011) turns up 540 taxonomic type specimens of which 348 are holotypes.

John Graham who collected at least from 1900 to 1920 primarily from Yunnan Province, with specimens cited as being from Yunnanfu and Wuding District (Wutingchow).

Links to Wikispecies and to the Smithsonian should show full classification and references as well as historical synonyms resulting from reclassifications.