Curators in the Division of Anthropology, 1873-Present
The primary source for this list was Bella Weitzner's "A Year by Year Summary of the Department of Anthropology, 1871-1952." Supplementary information was obtained from the biography files kept in the Museum library and from the C.V. files kept in the Anthropology Archives. List compiled by Alicia Carmona, May 1999 and updated by Kristen Mable, January 2004.
Chairs/Curators in Chief |
|
| Albert Smith Bickmore | 1873-1890 |
| James Terry | 1891-1893 |
| Frederick W. Putnam | 1894-1902 |
| Franz Boas | 1904-1905 (officially resigned in 1906) |
| Clark Wissler | 1906-1941 |
| Bella Weitzner | 1935-1956 (1935-appointed assistant curator; retired in 1956) |
| Harry L. Shapiro | 1942-1969 |
| Stanley A. Freed | 1969 (acting chair) 1970-1976 |
| David Hurst Thomas | 1976-1983 |
| Craig Morris | 1983-1990 |
| Ian Tattersall | 1990-1997 |
| Enid Schildkrout | 1997-2002 |
| Charles Spencer | 2002-2009 |
| Laurel Kendall | 2009-2021 |
| Ashley Hammond | 2022-present |
Curators, North American Ethnology |
|
| Franz Boas | 1895-1905 (officially resigned in 1906) |
| Livingston Farrand | 1903-1904 |
| Clark Wissler | 1905-1941 |
| Robert H. Lowie | 1909-1921 |
| Pliny E. Goddard | 1910-1928 |
| Alanson Skinner | 1913-1915 |
| Harry Tschopik Jr. | 1947-1955 |
| Stanley A. Freed | 1960-1999 |
| Peter Whiteley | 2001-present |
Curators, North American Archaeology |
|
| Harlan I. Smith | 1900-1911 |
| Nels C. Nelson | 1912-1943 |
| Helge Larson | 1943-1944 |
| James A. Ford | 1946-1964 |
| Richard A. Gould | 1965-1971 |
| David Hurst Thomas | 1972-2020 |
Curators, South American Ethnology |
|
| Harry Tschopik Jr. | 1947-1955 |
| Robert L. Carneiro | 1957-2010 |
| John Bunce | 2024-present |
Curators, South American Archaeology |
|
| Charles W. Mead | 1912-1925 |
| Ronald L. Olson | 1930-1931 |
| Wendell C. Bennett | 1931-1937 |
| Junius B. Bird | 1939-1973 |
| Craig Morris | 1975-2006 |
Curators, Mexican and Central American Archaeology |
|
| Marshall H. Saville | 1894-1907 |
| Herbert J. Spinden | 1909-1921 |
| J. Alden Mason | 1925 |
| George C. Vaillant | 1928-1940 |
| Gordon F. Ekholm | 1942-1974 |
| Charles Spencer | 1991-present |
Curators, African Ethnology |
|
| Colin Turnbull | 1959-1969 |
| Enid Schildkrout | 1973-2005 |
| Alex de Voogt | 2009-2018 |
Curators, Asian Ethnology |
|
| Laurel Kendall | 1983-present |
Curators, Pacific Ethnology |
|
| Margaret Mead | 1925-1969 |
| Michiko Takaki | 1970-1973 |
| Paige West | 2009-2010 |
| Jenny Newell | 2012-2017 |
Curators, Biological Anthropology |
|
| Louis R. Sullivan | 1918-1925 |
| Harry L. Shapiro | 1926-1970 |
| Ian Tattersall | 1971-2010 |
| Brian Richmond | 2014-2016 |
| Ashley Hammond | 2018-present |