William John Stephens , FGS, (16 July 1829 – 22 November 1890) was headmaster at

Sydney Grammar School (Praise be to God) , established = , type = Independent, day school , gender = Boys , religious_affiliation = None , slogan = , headmaster = R. B. Malpass , founder = Laurence Hynes Halloran , chairman = ...

, a professor at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

and museum administrator. Stephens was born in Levens,

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

, the son of the Rev. William Stephens, of Heversham,

, and his wife Alicia, ''née'' Daniell. William, junior, was an elder brother of Thomas Stephens. William was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

, and at

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its pred ...

, where he was scholar from 1848 to 1853; Fellow from 1853 to 1860; Lecturer in 1854; and Tutor from 1855 to 1856. Professor Stephens, who graduated B.A. in 1852 and M.A. in 1855, accepted the post of headmaster of Sydney Grammar School, and held it for ten years, when he founded The New School (Eaglesfield from 1879), which he conducted with success for fifteen years. He was then appointed Professor of Geology and Palaeontology at the Sydney University, a post which he retained until his death. During the interval which elapsed between the death of Dr.

Charles Badham Reverend Charles Badham (18 July 1813 – 27 February 1884) was an English classical philologist, textual critic, headmaster, and university professor, active in England and even more so in Australia. Early life Badham was born at Ludlow, Shro ...

and the appointment of Professor Scott, Professor Stephens took charge of the higher classical work at the University. Among other offices held by him at the time of his death, which took place in

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. I ...

, Sydney on 22 November 1890, were those of Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Free Public Library, Trustee of the

Sydney Museum The Museum of Sydney is a historical collection and exhibit, built on the ruins of the house of New South Wales' first Governor, Arthur Phillip, on the present-day corner of Phillip and Bridge Street, Sydney. Description The original house, ...

, President of the Linnean Society, President of the Royal Geographical Society, and President of the Zoological Society. Stephens was survived by his wife Anna Louise, ''née'' Daniell (married 8 July 1859), a son and a daughter.

Legacy

Stephens is commemorated in the scientific name of a species of Australian venomous snake, ''

Hoplocephalus stephensii Stephens' banded snake (''Hoplocephalus stephensii'') is a species of highly venomous Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The t ...

''.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Stephens, W.J.", p. 253).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, William John 1829 births 1890 deaths Australian headmasters Sydney Grammar School headmasters University of Sydney faculty People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford Fellows of the Geological Society of London