| Charles Schuchert | |
|---|---|
Charles Schuchert
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| Born | 3 July 1858 |
| Died | 20 November 1942 |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Paleontology |
| Doctoral students | Merton Yarwood Williams |
| Known for | Paleobiology |
| Notable awards | Mary Clark Thompson Medal (1934) |
Charles Schuchert (3 July 1858 – 20 November 1942) was an American invertebrate paleontologist who was a leader in the development of paleogeography, the study of the distribution of lands and seas in the geological past.
He received a common school education, but, possessing an aptitude for scientific investigation, he early began a collection of fossils and the study of palaeontology. During the 1880s, he made a living drawing fossil illustrations for state geological surveys, Minnesota's for example, and continued to search for specimens for his own growing collection. He was preparator of fossils with Charles E. Beecher at Yale University from 1892 to 1893. He served on the United States Geological Survey from 1893 to 1894. After serving as curator of the U.S. National Museum from 1894 to 1904, Schuchert joined the Yale faculty, succeeding Beecher, the first invertebrate paleontologist there.
Schuchert coined the term paleobiology in 1904. In 1934 Schuchert was awarded the Mary Clark Thompson Medal from the National Academy of Sciences.[1]