Edward C. Raney

May 23, 1909 — April 20, 1984

Edward C. Raney was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Anna (Devlin) Raney and Edwin O. Raney. He received his primary education in the public schools of New Castle, Pennsylvania, where he graduated from New Castle High School in June 1927. From 1925 to 1931 he was a nature counselor at summer camps in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maine. After receiving his B.S. degree in education from Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, in 1931, he taught science in the New Castle school district until 1935. Concurrently Ed received an M.S. in nature study and ornithology under Professors E. L. Palmer and A. A. Allen. Because of his profound and dedicated interest in the natural history of animals of the United States, Professor Alfred Hazen Wright suggested that Ed continue his graduate education at Cornell. Ed received his Ph.D. in vertebrate zoology in 1938 under Wright’s supervision, minored in nature study and aquaculture with Professors E. L. Palmer and C. C. Embody, and began his academic career at Cornell. He was appointed in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences as an instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and professor of zoology from 1936 to 1952. He remained a professor with the college until his retirement in 1971. Dr. Raney enlisted in the United States Navy in 1942 and served as an executive officer on a destroyer escort until his return to Cornell as an instructor in fall 1945.

Dr. Edward C. Raney was a recognized leader among ichthyologists. His knowledge of fishes was worldwide, but

his particular expertise was focused on the fishes of the eastern United States. As a lifelong student of fishes, Ed’s

particular interests centered around their taxonomy, ecological distributions, and behaviors. He insisted that all his

students obtain, in addition to an exhaustive knowledge of the different kinds of fishes, a thorough indoctrination

to field technique; this was no small task. During his tenure at Cornell thirty-seven students obtained their Ph.D.

degrees and nineteen obtained their M.S. degrees; today most occupy commanding positions in biology and

retain an active interest in fishes. Ed Raney’s strong field orientation led to the accumulation of a massive record

of water temperatures, stream flow rates, and a variety of other ecological conditions. In Ed’s later years these data

provided the baseline for his consultation on major environmental problems, such as the siting of dams and power

plants. Ed recognized that although poorly designed facilities could be detrimental, they could also be designed

to be compatible with the surrounding aquatic environment. He was not hesitant to take on controversial tasks,

including testifying before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Resource Protection—Endangered Species

Act Oversight in respect to the snail darter. Ed became such an expert on aquatic environmental problems that he

formed a consulting service that has employed over one thousand individuals and, over the years, a multitude of

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former Cornell students. Ed turned much of the profit from this endeavor into an endowment that today continues to provide grant awards to worthy students.

The numerous field trips that Ed Raney made with his graduate students also led to the amassing of a synoptic collection of fishes of the eastern United States that today ranks among one of the top four or five museum collections of North American fishes. The Cornell Ichthyology Collection is considered one of the best of its kind for fishes from the eastern United States. Its presence at Cornell is a treasure that serves innumerable specialists throughout the nation.

Ed Raney maintained membership in over thirty professional societies. Dr. Raney was made an honorary member of the American Fisheries Society in 1978. He was secretary (1948-51) and president (1955-56) of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. He served on innumerable advisory committees, including the New York State Joint Legislative Committee on Revision of Conservation Law; the National Science Foundation Committee on Inland Biological Stations; the American Nuclear Society Standards Committee, Environmental Impact, Evaluation, and Protection of Aquatic Organisms; the National Academy of Engineering Committee on Power Plant Siting; and the American Fisheries Society Study of the Connecticut River related to the Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Station. Other formal appointments included ichthyologist, U.S. National Museum, identification of fishes taken at Bikini in connection with atomic bomb tests; coordinator of the Atlantic States Cooperative Striped Bass Program of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; senior scientist, cruise 9, Indian Ocean expedition, research vessel Anton Bruun; director of Biological Survey of Charlotte Harbor, Florida, Mote Marine Laboratory; and member and trustee of the Sport Fishery Research Foundation.

Ed authored over 75 publications dealing with fishes, and over 250 reports and documents were compiled under his leadership at Ichthyological Associates. He also served on the editorial boards of Copeia, the Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, and The American Midland Naturalist.

Ed Raney’s commitment to his students was equalled by the hospitality shown to them by Charlotte, who passed away several years before Ed, and more recently by his second wife, Ethel. For those who sampled the warmth and scientific stimulation provided during numerous social gatherings in his home, we render thanks, and know that our understanding of fishes has been greatly enriched because Ed and his family chose Cornell and Ithaca as their home.

Cornell University Faculty Memorial Statement

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