William Henry Miskin

William Henry Miskin (1842 – 1913) was an Australian solicitor, politician and entomologist.

Early life

Born at Guildford, England, William Henry Miskin moved to Victoria, Australia at age 9 and later to Brisbane. He started collecting butterflies as a boy.

Professional life

He trained as a solicitor and was active in local government, becoming the founding President of the Shire of Toowong in 1880.[1][2] Miskin Street in Toowong is named after him.[3]

Entomology

He published numerous taxonomic papers on Lepidoptera from 1874 to 1892, including a description of Coscinocera hercules. In 1891 he published the Synonymical Catalogue of Butterflies of Australia.[1] He was the President of the Royal Society of Queensland in 1890 and a member of the board of trustees of the Queensland Museum.[1]

Later life

After having an affair with his domestic servant, he abandoned his wife. His wife divorced him in 1894.[4] She subsequently sold his collection and library were purchased by the Queensland Museum.[1]

Miskin worked as a solicitor in Rockhampton until his death in 1913, taking no further role in public life.[5]

Published works
  • Miskin, William Henry (1891), Synonymical catalogue of the Lepidoptera Rhopalocera (butterflies) of Australia : with full bibliographical reference, including descriptions of some new species, J.C. Beal, Govt. Printer, retrieved 10 September 2017

References
  1. Kitching, Roger Laurence (1999), Biology of Australian butterflies, CSIRO Publishing, p. 11, ISBN 978-0-643-05027-3
  2. "Official Notifications". The Brisbane Courier. XXXV (4, 123). Queensland, Australia. 7 August 1880. p. 6. Retrieved 10 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "Toowong History Group" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  4. "INTERCOLONIAL". Evening News (8595). New South Wales, Australia. 19 December 1894. p. 3. Retrieved 10 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "DEATH OF MR. W. H. MISKIN". The Capricornian. 38 (42). Queensland, Australia. 18 October 1913. p. 18. Retrieved 10 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
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