Spencer Fullerton Baird (; February 3, 1823 – August 19, 1887) was an
American naturalist,
ornithologist,
ichthyologist,
herpetologist, and museum
curator. Baird was the first curator to be named at the
Smithsonian Institution. He would eventually serve as assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian from 1850 to 1878, and as Secretary from 1878 until 1887. He was dedicated to expanding the
natural history collections of the Smithsonian which he increased from 6,000 specimens in 1850 to over 2 million by the time of his death. He published over 1,000 works during his lifetime.