James Ellsworth De Kay (alternatively spelled DeKay or Dekay) (October 12, 1792 – November 21, 1851) was an American zoologist.
He was born in Lisbon in 1792. When he was two years old, his family moved to New York; both his parents died while he was still quite young. He attended Yale from 1807 to 1812, but did not complete a degree. Later, he studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, receiving his M.D. in 1819.
After his return to the United States, he married Janet Eckford. He then traveled with his father-in-law to Turkey as a ship's physician, and published a book, Sketches of Turkey in 1831 and 1832, about these travels.
He returned to Oyster Bay, New York, giving up medicine for the study of natural history. He became involved with the Geological Survey of New York initiated in 1835. As a result, he published the multi-volume Zoology of New York State, or; The New-York Fauna printed by George Endicott over the years 1844–1849. This work was illustrated by the British born American painter John William Hill. De Kay died at Oyster Bay in 1851.
External links
"James Ellsworth De Kay". Biographical Dictionary of Hypogean Fish Researchers. http://www.clt.astate.edu/aromero/new_page_31.htm. Retrieved March 23 2005. "Early Academic Period". Geologic Overview of the Trenton Group. http://www.mcz.harvard.edu/Departments/InvertPaleo/Trenton/Intro/GeologyPage/castofgeologists/earlyacademic.htm. Retrieved March 23 2005.
De Kay, James E. Zoology of New York, or the New-York Fauna; comprising detailed descriptions of all the animals... This work was published from 1842-1844 as part of the series Natural History of New-York, which was commissioned in 1836 by the New York State legislature to provide for a geological and natural history survey of New York State. It addressed both recent and fossil mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, mollusks and crustaceans. The New York State Library has digitized the entire five-volume set, including hand-colored plates from part 1 (Mammalia), part 2 (Birds) and part 5 (Mollusca and Crustacea).
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