Civil engineer, railroad magnate, realtor and financier, Lamborn was also an amateur naturalist. His interest in the Academy dates from his childhood association with his uncle Jacob Peirce, who was once its librarian. His establishment of prize money for essays on control of mosquitoes, stems from his personal trials when building the Lake Superior Railroad. He was a well-known beekeeper and later a member of the Academy.

Lamborn willed his entire estate of more than a million dollars to the Academy to be used for biological and anthropological purposes. The inheritance being questioned by other heirs-at-law a long legal battle ensued and eventually the bequest was evenly divided between the Academy and the relatives. The assets consisted, in part, of real property in various sections of the country, namely Colorado, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. The lands were held for some years, gradually being sold and the income used for research. This large collection of papers contains correspondence, copies of wills, leases, tax notices, bank statements, canceled checks and other documents. No “contents” page has been prepared, nor list of signers made.