Charles Lester MARLATT

Background

Marlatt, Charles Lester was born on September 26, 1863 in Atchison, Kansas, United States. Son of Washington M. (one of founders and first principal Blue Mont College, now Kansas State College) and J. A. (Bailey) M.

Education

Born in 1863 at Atchison, Kansas, he was educated at Kansas State Agricultural College (Bachelor of Science, 1884. Mississippi, 1886), where he was assistant professor for two years.

Career

He is the person who introduced the ladybug insect into the United States to control the San Jose scale insect, which was first discovered in San Jose, California in 1880 by John Henry Comstock and named by him. Marlatt worked for the Bureau of Entomology, United States Department of Agriculture. In 1912 he was appointed chairman of the Federal Horticultural Board.

He was president of the Entomological Society of Washington in 1897-1898 and of the American Association of Economic Entomologists in 1899.

His 1907 description of periodic cicadas remains a classic in the field In this article, Marlatt proposed a grouping of periodic cicadas into 30 different broods, each given a Roman numeral.

Broods I-XVII assigned brood numbers for each of 17 sequential calendar years to 17-year cicadas. Broods XVIII-XXX assigned 13 sequential calendar years to 13-year cicadas.

Subsequent research has established that, in fact, not every year produces a brood of periodical cicadas.

There are only 15 distinct broods, not 30, but Marlatt"s scheme continues to be used.

Achievements

• Charles Lester Marlatt has been listed as a noteworthy entomologist by Marquis Who's Who.

Membership

Member editorial committee Journal of Agricultural Research, 1919-1926. Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Member Washington Academy Sciences, Biological, Archaeological and Geography societies, Phi Kappa Phi.

Clubs: Cosmos, Chevy Chase, Metropolitan (Washington).

• Member of (F.) American Association for the Advancement of Science. Entom. Society Washington (1897-1898, President). Association Eco. Entomologists (1899, President). Washington Academy Sciences. Clubs: Cosmos, Chevy Chase, Burning Tree (Washington).

Connections

Married Florence L. Brown, December, 1896 (died October 28, 1903). Married second, Helen Stuart Mackay Smith, July 5, 1906. Children: Florence, Virginia, Charles Lester (deceased), Helen, Dorothy, Constance.

Father:

Washington M. Marlatt

Spouse:

Helen Stuart Mackay Smith

Spouse:

Florence L. Brown

child:

Charles Lester Marlatt (deceased)

child:

Florence Marlatt

child:

Constance Marlatt

child:

Dorothy Marlatt

child:

Helen Marlatt

child:

Virginia Marlatt