Leonhard Hess Stejneger
Leonhard Hess Stejneger (born October 30, 1851 in Bergen , † February 28, 1943 in Washington, DC ) was an American zoologist of Norwegian origin.
Life
Leonhard Hess Stejneger was born in Bergen as the oldest child of seven siblings. He studied law and philosophy at the University of Oslo and worked as a lawyer for a short time after completing his doctorate in 1875. However, his passion was zoology. He published his first publications four years before graduating.
In 1881 he emigrated with his family to the USA and worked at the Smithsonian Institution under Spencer Fullerton Baird . First he worked as assistant administrator for birds from 1884 to 1889 and then took over the administrator position for reptiles and amphibians. In 1887 he became a US citizen. From 1911 until his death he was the chief administrator of biology.
In 1923 he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences .
to travel
In addition to his work at the Smithsonian Institution, he undertook numerous expeditions to the north of the North American continent. From 1882 to 1883 he studied ear seals on the commander's islands for the US Fish Commission . He made two more trips to these islands; 1895 (again on behalf of the US Fish Commission) and 1922. Together with Clinton Hart Merriam , he collected amphibians and reptiles in Arizona in 1889.
Works
Leonhard Hess Stejneger's catalog raisonné includes more than 400 scientific works, including on birds, reptiles, seals and the herpetology of Puerto Rico and Japan, as well as a biography of the German doctor and natural scientist Georg Wilhelm Steller , which Stejneger was fascinated by. In addition to his works, he scientifically described numerous animals.
He first described 65 species of reptiles.
Eponyms
In 2010 the asteroid (13253) Stejneger was named after him. He has been the namesake of Stejneger Peak on Bird Island in the South Atlantic since 1960 .
Web links
- Chronological curriculum vitae of Leonhard Hess Stejneger (English)
- Memorandum on Leonhard Hess Stejneger (National Academy of Sciences) (pdf; English; 2.4 MB)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stejneger, Leonhard Hess |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American zoologist of Norwegian origin |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 30, 1851 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mountains |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 28, 1943 |
| Place of death | Washington, DC |