Hunter

his daughter; Harper's Weekly, July 25, 1874; N. Y.
Times and .V. Y. Tribune, Oct. 15, 1915.]

A.B.MacL.

HUNTER, WALTER DAVID (Dec. 14,
i875-Qct 13, 1925), entomologist, the son of
Joseph and Mary Abbey (Crooker) Hunter, was
born at Lincoln, Nebr. His grandfather Hunter,
of Scotch-Irish descent, emigrated to the United
States in 1825; his mother was of Scotch-Eng-
lish origin. Hunter entered the preparatory
school of the University of Nebraska at the age
of fourteen, and graduated in arts in 1895. He
and the other children in the family were ap-
parently born naturalists, for they knew all the
birds and many of the plants and insects around
Lincoln. In the university he studied ornithol-
ogy and taxidermy, but was soon led into the
study of insects. After graduation, he became
an instructor in entomology, and in 1897 re-
ceived his master's degree. On account of lack
of sufficient appropriations from the state, in-
strttctorships were abolished in 1900, and Hunter
became assistant entomologist on the staff of the
Iowa Agricultural College Experiment Station,
where he served for one year. During his grad-
uate work at Nebraska he had done some held
work for the United States Department of Agri-
culture, and when, in 1901, Congress made ap-
propriations for the investigation of the cotton
boll weevil, Hunter, on account of his former
excellent record, was selected for field work.
He established a laboratory at Victoria, Tex.,
and, with increasing appropriations and an in-
creasing number of assistants, he continued the
investigation of this pest until the time of his
death. During this period he was in charge of
the investigations of all insects affecting cotton,
Becoming greatly interested also in medical en-
tomology, he was put in charge of this branch
of the federal Bureau's work. While at Victoria
he married, in 1906, Mary P. Smith, daughter of
Dr. E. H. Smith of that city. The work upon the
cotton boll weevil was of the most intensive
character. It is probable that no other single
species of insect had been studied as broadly and
as carefully before. Had the early recommen-
dations of Hunter and his force been generally
adopted in the southwestern states of the cotton
bdt, the spread of the weevil would have been
greatly retarded and an enormous monetary loss
would have been prevented. In 1915 he was pres-
ident of the Entomological Society of Washing-
toij, asd in 1913 president of the American As-
sodaiJon of Economic Entomologists, The bib-
liography of his writings contains about one
Imndred titles. His early work in Nebraska was
ewaeeraed largely with the taxonomy of certain
Bifteu After be entered the federal service

Hunter

his publications were almost entirely of an eco-
nomic character. He died suddenly at El Paso,
Tex., two months before the completion of his
fiftieth year.

[Proc. of the Entomological Soc. of Washington,
Dec. 1925; Nebraska Alumnus, Nov. 1925; Jour, of
Economic Entomology, Dec. 1925; Who's Who in
America, 1922-23; Dallas Morning News, Oct. 14, 15,
1925; Houston Post-Dispatch, Oct. 14, 1925,]

L.O.H.

HUNTER, WHITESIDE GODFREY (Dec.
25, i84i-Nov. 2, 1917), congressman, politician,
the son of William and Mary (Godfrey) Hunter,
was born near Belfast, Ireland, where he re-
ceived his early education. Emigrating about
1858 to Newcastle, Pa., he shortly began to study
medicine in Philadelphia and was admitted to
practice. In 1861 he enlisted in the 45th Penn-
sylvania Infantry, being later assistant-surgeon
and surgeon (i49th and 2iith Pennsylvania).
After service in South Carolina, he was in the
Army of the Potomac from 1862 to 1865, and
was twice captured: at Gettysburg and at the
Wilderness. In 1865 he became a naturalized
citizen of the United States, and, attracted by
oil discoveries, settled in Burkesville, Ky. Here
he practised medicine and in 1869 married Susan
J. Alexander. Two sons and a daughter were
born to them.

Entering politics, Hunter soon became a Re-
publican leader in Cumberland County. He was
postmaster of Burkeville, 1860-73; represen-
tative in the legislature, 1873-74,1874-75, 1881-
82; and delegate to the national conventions of
1880 and 1892, in the former supporting Grant
to the end. Elected to the United States House
of Representatives in 1886 and 1894, he was an
unsuccessful candidate in 1888, 1892, and 1896.
The quiet but thorough way in which he organ-
ized the Republicans in his constituency earned
him the nickname of "Gumshoe." In 1895 he di-
rected the state-wide precinct organization and
canvass which gave Kentucky its first Repub-
lican governor, William O. Bradley [#.#.]. In
1896 Hunter was nominated by the Republican
legislative caucus for the United States Senate,
but his election was opposed by Governor Brad-
ley and his followers. He was several times
within one vote of election, but the session ended
in a deadlock. Renominated in 1897, after an-
other long, bitter contest, he withdrew to allow
the Republicans to elect W. J. Deboe.

Hunter was minister to Guatemala and Hon-
duras from Nov. 8, 1897, to Dec. 8, 1903. He
seems to have been well disposed toward the
governments to which he was accredited, op-
posing certain claims by citizens of the United
States and suggesting arbitration in other cases.
In 1901 he signed two treaties with Guatemala,

406