Mary Livingston Ripley
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May 11, 1914
Mary Livingston Ripley | |
|---|---|
,_S._Dillon_Ripley_(1913-2001),_Salim_Ali.jpg) Mary and Dillon Ripley (front row, right), 1976 in India | |
| Born | Mary Moncrieffe Livingston May 11, 1914 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 15, 1996 (aged 81) Litchfield, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
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Mary Moncrieffe Livingston Ripley (May 11, 1914 – April 15, 1996) was a U.S. horticulturist, entomologist, photographer, and scientific collector.
Mary Livingston was born in New York City in 1914.[1] She was the daughter of Gerald Moncrieffe Livingston, a governor of the New York Stock Exchange, and Eleanor Hoffman (née Rodewald) Livingston. Through her father, she was a member of the long prominent Livingston family.[2] Her sisters were Mrs. Livingston Briggs and Geraldine Livingston.[3]
Her paternal grandfather was Crawford Livingston and her maternal grandfather was William MacNeil Rodewald of Tuxedo Park, New York.[3] Her great-grandfather was the Rev. Dr. Charles Frederick Hoffman.[3]
Career
She worked in a clerical position for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II.[4] While traveling with the OSS, she was a roommate of Julia Child (then Julia McWilliams).[5]
After she married, she accompanied her husband on ornithological and entomological expeditions to India, Bhutan, Indonesia and Irian Jaya. Ripley's work of organizing volunteers led to the creation of the Smithsonian Institutions Women's Committee.
In 1983, Ripley was made an Honorary life member of the Smithsonian's Women's Committee.[4]
