William Dutcher

Working in a New York insurance company, he provided support to the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) in its early years by serving as its treasurer and by working with government agencies to help pass key legislations for the protection of birds and the establishment of bird reserves.

Dutcher took a special interest in the Labrador duck and owned a specimen of the last individual and used it as an example for conservation measures.

He also worked with the US Department of Agriculture to establish Pelican Island as the first National Bird Reserve in 1903.

Dutcher married Catharine Oliver Price on May 18, 1870 and they had a son Basil and a daughter Mary who later contracted tuberculosis and died in 1909.

The death of his daughter affected Dutcher greatly and led to a decrease in his pursuits and to make matters worse he suffered a stroke in 1910 that paralyzed his right side and made speech impossible.