John N. Cobb

1868 - 1930

John N. Cobb entered the Bureau of Fisheries in 1895 as a field agent assigned to gather data in the Great Lakes and Atlantic states. He made an investigation of the Hawaiian fisheries in 1901 and 1904, and was appointed assistant agent in charge of Alaska fisheries in 1904. In 1912, he left government service and became editor of the Pacific Fisherman until his appointment as Assistant General Superintendent of the Alaska Packers Association in 1917.

Upon the establishment of the College of Fisheries at the University of Washington in 1919, John N. Cobb was appointed its first Director, which title was later changed to Dean. His work at the University was widely recognized by both scientists and the fishing industry. It is doubtful whether any other person at that time possessed as wide a knowledge of all aspects of the fisheries and fishery industries as Dean Cobb. He occupied a unique position in the educational field as Dean of the only college of fisheries in America.

Dean Cobb published much information on the cod, salmon, shad, lobster, and sponge fisheries. He produced a number of articles of widely recognized importance, among which are his "Pacific Cod Fisheries", "Pacific Salmon Fisheries," and "The Canning of Fishery Products." John N. Cobb was a revered educator and student of the fishing industry. Following an illness of many months, he passed away at La Jolla, California at sixty-one years of age in 1930.

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