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Henry Bishop (bird man and goldfish king)

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Henry Bishop c. 1886. Cover of Bishop, the Bird Man's Book

Henry Bishop (c. 1837/1838 - November 3, 1907), known to the public as both "Bishop the Bird Man" and the "Gold Fish King," was a Baltimore-area fish breeder (aquarist), bird breeder (aviculturist), zoo and pet supplier. A German immigrant, entrepreneur, Bishop supplied aquariums and pet owners across the nation. He is credited with revolutionizing the U.S. aquarium business. He was called the "Father of the Baltimore Zoo".

Biography

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Henry Bishop, Inc., storefront in Baltimore c. 1886

Born in c. 1837 or 1838 in Hanover, Germany, both parents died soon after, he was raised by relatives.[1] Bishop developed an interest in animals and nature as a youth.[1] Determined to emigrate to America, he spent a few years working at sea, where travels in South and Central America broadened his exposure to exotic birds and fish.[1] On arriving in the US he became associated with P. T. Barnum's Hippodrome in New York in 1871.[2] He settled in Baltimore in 1874 to take a job maintaining a fish and bird breeding facility.[1] He soon opened his own pet store.[3] Bishop began his career dealing in birds, earning him the moniker "Bishop the Birdman." His business sold not only birds but also a comprehensive catalog of supplies for their care. He also sold pet fish and aquarium supplies. According to the Washington Post, he "revolutionized the U.S. aquarium industry" selling a wide range of tanks and supplies, including live fish in tin cans.[3]

Bishop needed a place to breed stock for his Baltimore Gold Fish Company.[4] He contracted with a new subdivision in the suburbs of Washington, DC, near College Park, Maryland, called Lakeland, that had a central large Lake Artemesia, and four surrounding ponds.[4] He stocked them with goldfish and from this facility at its peak shipped more than 1 million goldfish annually.[1] He owned other fish breeding facilities around the country.[1] His Baltimore Sun obituary thought it was the largest goldfish operation in the world.[1] He supplied complete aquatic ecosystems, including custom aquariums, aquatic plants, tank ornaments, and fish food. His client list was extensive including the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., the New York Aquarium, and Luna Park in Pittsburgh.[5][1]

Henry Bishop was an advocate for the creation of a public zoo in Baltimore. He worked to establish a zoological garden in Druid Hill Park, donating many animals himself to form the nucleus of the collection that became the Baltimore Zoo in 1876.[5] He continued to supply the zoo after it was established.[1] He was called the "Father of the Baltimore Zoo".[1] He strove many years to build a much larger "Great Zoo" in Baltimore, but ultimately was unable to raise the funds.[1]

He published Bishop, The Bird Man's Book, on the Care and Management of Birds, Aquariums, Your Home and Yourself (1886), which has advice on the care of birds, fish, home management, and personal health. It also includes songs and poetry by Bishop.[6]

Bishop died at home in Baltimore on November 3, 1907, from an unstated disease.[1] He is buried at Loudon Park Cemetery.[1] At the time of his death, his pet store business in Baltimore, Henry Bishop, Inc. at 12 N. Front Street, was one of the oldest operating in the country.[7]

His son Henry Bishop. Jr. (1874-1937), continued to run Henry Bishop, Inc., then around 1914, continued the goldfish breeding business from his home at "Shipleys Mill" (aka "Beaver Dam Mill"), an 18th century rural property in Cockeysville, Maryland.[5] There he raised and sold goldfish from numerous ponds with his sister Hermina Bishop Gill.[5] Hermina continued to raise and sell goldfish after Jr's death in 1937, but she died in 1939, and the family lost the mill in a legal dispute with a contractor in 1941.[5][7] It's uncertain when the Lakeland ponds stopped breeding goldfish.[4] By 1914 the ponds were being used by the federal government to raise bass for release into nearby streams and rivers.[3] A government report noted the "remarkable rate of growth" of the bass, attributing it to the goldfish.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Bishop, "Bird Man", Dead". The Baltimore Sun. November 4, 1907.
  2. ^ "GOLD FISH KING IS DEAD.; Henry Bishop Established Big Lakes and Supplied Many Cities". The New York Times. November 4, 1907. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  3. ^ a b c d Kelly, John (December 2, 2017). "Breeding ponds in College Park, Md., once kept the U.S. awash in goldfish". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  4. ^ a b c Meyer, Eugene L. (December 26, 1976). "Urban Renewal and Lakeland". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  5. ^ a b c d e "BA-976: Shipley Mill and Mill Race: Architectural Survey" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. May 17, 2012. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  6. ^ Bishop, Henry (1886). Bishop, The Bird Man's Book, on the Care and Management of Birds, Aquariums, Your Home and Yourself. Baltimore: By the author Bishop, the Bird Man.
  7. ^ a b See "Obituary" for Hermina C Bishop Gill in The Baltimore Sun. She died November 22, 1939 and was president of Henry Bishop, Inc.
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