Henry O'Malley

Henry O'Malley (March 22, 1876 —April 24, 1936) was an American fish culturist who led the United States Bureau of Fisheries (BOF) as the seventh United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries from 1922 to 1933. The BOF experienced significant growth in many areas during his tenure, and he was noted for his leadership in protection of the American fishing industry and of fish spawning grounds, especially the rehabilitation of depleted fishery resources in the Columbia River and the Territory of Alaska.

Early life

O'Malley was born at St. Johnsbury, Vermont, on March 22, 1876. He graduated from the St. Johnsbury Academy in 1895.

Career Early career After graduation from the St. Johnsbury Academy, O'Malley worked for the American Express Company, and thereafter he advanced steadily within the Fish Commission's Division of Fish Culture. In 1898, he was promoted to skilled laborer and transferred to a new position at the Fish Commission station in Leadville, Colorado. For a short time, he was foreman at the Fish Commission station at Baird, California, before returning to Baker Lake in 1903 ― the year the Fish Commission was reorganized to become the United States Bureau of Fisheries (BOF) ― to serve as superintendent there, overseeing all BOF operations in the State of Washington.

The May 1, 1936, edition of the BOF's Fisheries Service Bulletin described O'Malley as a man known for "his kindly and gentle nature, his ready wit, his unswerving loyalty to his friends, and his resourcefulness in handling problems confronting him."