Wetmore, Alexander (1886–1978), a United States museum official and authority on birds. Wetmore was one of the world's leading experts on the skeletons of birds and their fossil remains. He wrote A Classification for the Birds of the World, which became a standard reference in the field. He served as secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1945–52. Wetmore was born in North Freedom, Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Kansas in 1912 and earned a Ph.D. degree from George Washington University in 1920. He joined the Smithsonian Institution in 1925.