Francesca La Monte

Francesca Raimonde LaMonte (or La Monte; 1895–1982) was a noted ichthyologist and a founding figure of the International Game Fish Association. Her notable academic work includes illustrating and writing the popular book, "North American Game Fishes" which is an illustrated guide for identifying and fishing for game fish species in North America.

Personal life Francesca Lamonte was born in Germany to American and Armenian parents on June 5, 1895. Francesca's father passed away from unknown causes four years after she was born, and her mother remarried shortly after. As both LaMonte and her mother were Daughters of the American Revolution, Francesca was afforded societal advantages that assisted her admission into college.

Career LaMonte's first foray into professional work at the American Museum of Natural History in New York was as an editorial assistant on A Bibliography of Fishes authored by Bashford Dean in 1919. She began working with the museum two years after graduating from Wellesley College by translating scientific articles to English from French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Russian. LaMonte conducted significant field work, specializing in marine big game fish such as marlins and swordfish. LaMonte became the first secretary for the International Game Fish Association. As her career continued, LaMonte held various offices in the International Game Fish Association and was inducted into the IGFA Hall of Fame. This accomplishment made her the first woman to do so in the history of the organization. LaMonte was in a position of leadership for the Lerner–American Museum Big Game Fish Expedition to Peru/Chile as the Scientific Leader in 1940. She was a coeditor on all of the IGFA's early published papers. Her years of science writing gained her the respect of prominent literary figures, including Ernest Hemingway, whom she advised on fish anatomical descriptions. Ernest Hemingway coauthored the book "Game Fish of the World" with LaMonte in 1949. The genus of the South American armored catfish (Lamontichthys) is named after her, immortalizing her contributions to fish conservation.

LaMonte was the Curator Emerita for the American Museum of Natural History after her retirement and until her death in 1982.

Notable works

LaMonte, F. (1945). North American Game Fishes. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran & Co