Birds, Wildlife, Conservation, and Controversy

Should John James Audubon’s Name be Laid to Rest in His Grave?

The Board of the Directors of the National Audubon Society has voted to retain its name, despite its namesake’s role as an enslaver and slave trader

Headstones in the cemetery of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in New York City where the remains of John James Audubon were laid to rest. © 2023 Randy Runtsch.

On March 15, 2023, the National Audubon Society (NAS) announced that its Board of Directors had voted to keep its name. They did so despite the fraught legacy of its namesake, John James Audubon.

John James Audubon in 1826. John Syme. Public domain.

Audubon (1785–1851) was an artist, naturalist, and ornithologist. He published his seminal color-plate book The Birds of America in sections between 1827 and 1838. But stories of his actions as an enslaver and slave trader have stirred controversy.

Trumpeter swan by John James Audubon. Public domain.

In a statement about retaining its name, linked below, NAS acknowledged the troublesome actions of Audubon, the man. But it implied that changing the organization’s name…