William Henry Miskin

William Henry Miskin (1842 – 1913) was an Australian solicitor, politician and entomologist.

Early life

Born at Guildford, England, William Henry Miskin moved to Victoria, Australia at age 9 and later to Brisbane. He started collecting butterflies as a boy.

Professional life

He trained as a solicitor and was active in local government, becoming the founding President of the Shire of Toowong in 1880.^[1][2] Miskin Street in Toowong is named after him.^[3]

Entomology

He published numerous taxonomic papers on Lepidoptera from 1874 to 1892, including a description of Coscinocera hercules. In 1891 he published the Synonymical Catalogue of Butterflies of Australia.^[1] He was the President of the Royal Society of Queensland in 1890 and a member of the board of trustees of the Queensland Museum.^[1]

Later life

After having an affair with his domestic servant, he abandoned his wife. His wife divorced him in 1894.^[4] She subsequently sold his collection and library were purchased by the Queensland Museum.^[1]

Miskin worked as a solicitor in Rockhampton until his death in 1913, taking no further role in public life.^[5]

Published works

• Miskin, William Henry (1891), Synonymical catalogue of the Lepidoptera Rhopalocera (butterflies) of Australia : with full bibliographical reference, including descriptions of some new species, J.C. Beal, Govt. Printer, retrieved 10 September 2017