SZ/ZOO - Zoological Society of London

SZ/ZOO

Series

Zoological Society of London

1909-1984

16 sub-series
46 boxes

This series relates primarily to SZ's periods of office as Honorary Secretary and then President of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

SZ's association with the Society dated back to 1928, when he was appointed Prosector (Research Anatomist) to the Society. Surviving papers of that early period are chiefly to be found in Series SZ/SC and scattered through the general correspondence in Series SZ/GEN. Exceptions include the early correspondence with Julian Huxley, Dr R.E. Rewell, Dr G.M. Vevers, and Berthold Lubetkin in File SZ/13. The last mentioned comprises only two letters.

SZ's reign at Regent's Park, the headquarters of the Society and location of its Zoological Gardens in London, began in 1955 and almost immediately exploded into a confrontation with the Fellowship as he sought to re-invigorate the Society on a firm foundation of scientific rigour. It ended in almost as much controversy, with the Society facing a dire financial situation and experiencing a rapid turnover of senior officers.

In between was a period of sustained development, manifested in new buildings to house animals and birds, and the creation of major research establishments operating under the Society's aegis. Much of this was achieved thanks to SZ's assiduous cultivation of the interest of the Great, the Good, and the Glitterati in the Society and its work. SZ also initiated the setting-up of a staff pension fund, and widening of the range of awards made by the ZSL in recognition of contributions to science and to the work of the Society.

This series brings together large runs of files originating in SZ's offices at Birmingham University and London Zoo, into which a smaller number from the Cabinet Office and his office at UEA have been integrated.