Frank Springer

Background

Frank was born on June 17, 1848 at Wapella, Iowa, United States, to judge Francis and Nancy (Coleman) Springer.

Education

He was educated in the local public schools and the state university at Iowa City, receiving the degree of B. S. in 1867.

He then studied law in the office of Henry Strong, and in 1869 was admitted to the bar and given the position of prosecuting attorney for the Burlington district.

Career

In 1873 Springer left Burlington for New Mexico, settling at Cimarron in the northern part of the territory, whence in 1883 he moved to Las Vegas, retaining his residence there until his death, though spending much of his time in Santa Fe and in Washington.

In 1880 and in 1901 Springer was a member of the legislative council of New Mexico; in 1889, of the constitutional convention. He was for five years (1898 - 1903) president of the board of regents of the New Mexico Normal University at Las Vegas, and he took a prominent part in the building of the Eagle's Nest Dam and the St. Louis, Rocky Mountain & Pacific Railroad.

Even after his removal to New Mexico, he returned for a number of years each summer to Burlington, where he and Charles Wachsmuth built up what became known in later years as the Wachsmuth-Springer collection, comprising over 100, 000 individual specimens. Springer was not, however, a mere collector.

He became a leader along the lines of systematic and morphologic work and published, alone or with Wachsmuth, fifty-eight books and papers on crinoids. Their first great joint work, Revision of the Palaeocrinoidea, a three-part volume of 725 pages, was published during 1880-86. This was followed in 1897 by a three-volume work, The North American Crinoidea Camerata; in 1920, after the death of Wachsmuth, by Crinoidea Flexibilia in two volumes; and in 1926, by American Silurian Crinoids, all comprising "the most magnificent of monographs on invertebrate paleontology published in this country".

In 1910 he retired from his law practice but continued his studies on his crinoid collections, which became the property of the National Museum at Washington, where he did most of his work. His last publication, American Silurian Crinoids, he completed and saw through the press while confined to his bed at the home of his son-in-law in Philadelphia. He died in 1927.

Achievements

• Frank Springer was elected president of the New Mexico Bar Association, and became leader in a movement providing for the immediate settlement by Congress, through a proper tribunal, of titles under Spanish and Mexican land grants, the bill establishing the "Court of Private Land Claims" which finally became a law, being, it is stated, drafted by him. He was prominent in the councils of the Archaeological Society of America and was for some years sponsor for its publications. Besides, he became president of the Maxwell Land Grant Company.

Personality

Quotes from others about the person

• According to his contemporaries, Springer early became one of the leading lawyers of the state, and "during all the years of his active career at the bar, either as trial lawyer or as counsel, was consulted in every case of any consequence which was heard in the courts of New Mexico".

Connections

On October 10, 1876, he was married to Josephine M. Bishop of Santa Fe, who, with three sons and four daughters, survived him.

Father:

Francis Springer

Mother:

Nancy (Coleman) Springer

Spouse:

Josephine M. Bishop