Overview (4)
| Born | in Carthage, Missouri, USA |
| Died | in Clayton, Missouri, USA (cancer) |
| Birth Name | Richard Marlin Perkins |
| Height | 5' 10" (1.78 m) |
Mini Bio (1)
Marlin Perkins was born on March 28, 1905 in Carthage, Missouri, USA as Richard Marlin Perkins. He was married to Carol Morse Cotsworth and Elise More. He died on June 14, 1986 in Clayton, Missouri.
Spouse (2)
| Carol Morse Cotsworth | (13 August 1960 - 14 June 1986) ( his death) |
| Elise More | (9 September 1934 - 1953) ( divorced) ( 1 child) |
Trivia (7)
Served as director of Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo.
During rehearsal for an episode of "Zoo Parade," he was bitten on the finger by a timber rattlesnake. He was rushed to the hospital and another zoologist hosted that episode. It took him three weeks to recover enough to return to work.
His obituary mentioned that he was "one of only a handful of people to survive the bite of a West African Gaboon viper."
From 1938 to 1944 he was director of the New York Zoological Gardens in Buffalo.
Returned to the Saint Louis Zoo as its second full-time director in 1962, taking over for George P. Vierheller, who launched Perkins's career by putting him in charge of the reptile exhibit two weeks after giving him his first job -- sweeping the Zoo's sidewalks.
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 692-694. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999.
Inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians in 2004.
