John Merton Aldrich (1866-1934) was, according to Melville Hatch in his 1949 text, A Century of Entomology in the Pacific Northwest, "the most eminent entomologist ever to have sought residence in the Pacific Northwest." As an accomplished Dipterist, Aldrich is remembered not only for his many descriptions of American Diptera - he named 4,000 species - but also for developing his Catalogue of North American Diptera published in 1905 by the Smithsonian Institute.

J.M. Aldrich studied at the Agriculture College of South Dakota (1888) and received his M.S. degree from Kansas (1893). He directed entomological work at the University of Idaho from 1893 to 1913 as Professor of Zoology. While at the UI, he began work on his monumental Catalogue of North American Diptera. In 1906, he took a sabbatical leave from Idaho to receive a Ph.D. from Stanford where his Catalogue was accepted as his thesis. While at Stanford, much of the UI burned to the ground. Fortunately, his library and collections had been moved to the home of his father.

In 1913, his association with the UI was terminated under unusual circumstance, described by Melander in Pysche, 1934, as "outrageous and unwarranted interference" by the University administration. Immediately, Aldrich was appointed as Entomological Assistant in the U.S. Bureau of Entomology at West Lafayette, Indiana. Five years later, he was transferred to the National Museum, where in 1919 he became Custodian of the Diptera and Associate Curator. Aldrich worked as custodian and curator at this post until his death in 1934. In the interim, he became President of the Entomological Society of America (1921) and received many honors and awards.

J.M. Aldrich left his collection of Diptera totalling 45,000 specimens, his extensive card catalogue and his library to the National Museum. On the Diptera alone, he published 173 articles. Our club honors the work and life of John Merton Aldrich.

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