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, althoug ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 sever ...
specimen was found a few days after his death.
References
External links
*
Erwin H. Barbour Collectionat 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, th ...
Photographs in the Erwin H. Barbour Collectionat 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, th ...
*
{{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