Henry Bishop

Henry Bishop ( - 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 seller, zoo supplier, and pet store founder. A German immigrant and entrepreneur, Bishop supplied aquariums and pet owners across the nation and is credited with revolutionizing the U.S. aquarium business. He was reputed to have the largest goldfish farm in the world. For his animal contributions to the city's zoological park, he was affectionately known as the "Father of the Baltimore Zoo".

Biography

Born in Hanover, Germany, Henry Bishop was orphaned at a young age and raised by relatives, receiving a good education and developing an early interest in nature. Determined to emigrate to America, he spent several years working at sea; his travels in South and Central America broadened his exposure to exotic birds and fish. He opened his own pet store the same year. Originally established in Jonestown, a neighborhood with a large German immigrant population, Bishop began his business dealing in pet birds, which earned him the moniker "Bishop the Birdman". He sold a comprehensive catalog of supplies for their care, soon branching out to pet fish and aquarium equipment. According to the Washington Post, he "revolutionized the U.S. aquarium industry" by selling a wide range of tanks and supplies, including live fish shipped in tin cans.

Bishop died at home in Baltimore on November 3, 1907, from an unspecified illness.

After his father's death, Henry Bishop Jr. (1874-1937) took over Henry Bishop, Inc. Around 1914, he opened a goldfish breeding operation at his home, an 18th-century rural property in Cockeysville, Maryland known as Shipleys Mill (also known as Beaver Dam Mill). Meanwhile, it is uncertain when the original Lakeland ponds stopped breeding goldfish; however, by 1914, the ponds were being used by the federal government to raise bass for stocking local rivers and lakes. A 1915 government report noted the "remarkable rate of growth" of the bass and attributed it to the goldfish.