Educated as a physician, this mineralogist, naturalist and entrepreneur exhibited his large collection of minerals at the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia and received a special award. Because his personal cabinet was so extensive, he was unable to show all of it and rented a building nearby to house the remainder. Visitors asked for permission to buy or exchange minerals with him and soon he was handling a flourishing business. He remained in Philadelphia, and from then managed an outstanding business in minerals and other natural history objects, his only real competition being from the Ward's Natural History Co. of Rochester. He collected most of the specimens himself and traveled extensively to procure new items. For advertising purposes, he published the Naturalists' Leisure Hour and Monthly Bulletin. This journal presented some general reading matter for the naturalist, but the greater part of the paper was given over to listing his minerals, books of natural history, and specimens in all fields of natural science. The 99 letters signed by A. E. Foote, or for his company, deal mostly with the business of obtaining and selling second hand books and specimens, although strictly Academy business was sometimes included. Elected a member in 1876, he remained active until his death.