Erwin Hinckley Barbour (April 5, 1856 – May 10, 1947) was an American

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

and

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

. He was born near

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, and was educated at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

and at

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

, where he graduated in 1882. He was assistant paleontologist to the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

under

Othniel Charles Marsh Othniel Charles Marsh (October 29, 1831 – March 18, 1899) was an American professor of Paleontology in Yale College and President of the National Academy of Sciences. He was one of the preeminent scientists in the field of paleontology. Among h ...

from 1882 to 1888. He then taught at the University of Iowa for two years, before being hired by the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

in 1891 as head of the Department of Geology. Upon his arrival in at the University of Nebraska, he worked vigorously to equip his department and to start populating the University museum. Within a year, he was appointed Curator of the

University of Nebraska State Museum The University of Nebraska State Museum, also known as Morrill Hall, founded in 1871, is a natural history museum featuring Nebraska biodiversity, paleontology, and cultural diversity, located on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln City Campus nea ...

. He remained the director until 1941. Also in 1891, he was appointed by Governor

Thayer Thayer may refer to: Places ;United States * Thayer, Illinois * Thayer, Indiana * Thayer, Iowa * Thayer, Kansas * Thayer, Michigan * Thayer, Missouri * Thayer, Nebraska *Thayer, West Virginia * Thayer County, Nebraska * Thayer Street, Providence, ...

as Acting State Geologist, a position he also retained for many years. Barbour gave his time free for the next 25 summers to manage field parties throughout the state, surveying the geological and paleontological resources of the State of Nebraska. These trips were known as the Morrill Geological Expeditions, as they were funded by private donations from

Charles Henry Morrill Charles Henry Morrill (July 14, 1843 – December 14, 1928) was a prominent American businessman who played an important role in the history of Nebraska. Morrill County, Nebraska is named after him. He was born in Concord, New Hampshire, the only ...

, regent of the University. Their reports were published in the volumes of the Nebraska Geological Survey, as well as the Report of the State Geologist. The specimens that were found were added to the collections of the University museum. As assistant curator of paleontology, his sister Carrie Adeline Barbour also participated in fieldwork and prepared specimens at the museum. The genus ''

Barbourofelis ''Barbourofelis'' is an extinct genus of large, predatory, feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Barbourofelidae (false saber-tooth cats). The genus was endemic to North America and Eurasia during the Miocene until its extinction during t ...

'' of false saber-toothed cats was named in his honor; the ''B. fricki''

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

specimen was found a few days after his death.

References

External links

*
Erwin H. Barbour Collection
at the

University of Nebraska-Lincoln A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

Photographs in the Erwin H. Barbour Collection
at the

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbour, Erwin Hinckley Yale University alumni University of Iowa faculty University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty American geologists American paleontologists 1856 births 1947 deaths Miami University alumni People from Oxford, Ohio