G. Arthur Cooper

Summary

Gustav Arthur Cooper (February 9, 1902 – October 17, 2000)[1] was an American paleobiologist.

G. Arthur Cooper
Born
Gustav Arthur Cooper

February 9, 1902
DiedOctober 17, 2000(2000-10-17) (aged 98)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materColgate University
Yale University
SpouseJosephine W. Cooper
AwardsMary Clark Thompson Medal (1957)
Paleontological Society Medal (1964)
Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal (1979)
Penrose Medal (1983)
Scientific career
FieldsPaleobiology
InstitutionsSmithsonian Institution

Cooper was born in College Point, Queens, and attended Colgate University. He graduated in 1924, staying on to receive a master's degree in 1926.[2] He then attended Yale University, where he received his PhD in 1929. His dissertation was titled, "Stratigraphy of the Hamilton Group of New York."

He met his future wife, Josephine Wells, while they were both studying geology at Yale.[3] They married in 1930 and moved to Washington, D.C.[3]

In 1930, he got a job as assistant curator at the Division of Stratigraphic Paleontology in United States National Museum. He was promoted to a curator position in 1944 for the Division of Invertebrate Paleontology. In 1957, he became the head curator of the Department of Geology, and 6 years later became the chairman of the newly formed Department of Paleobiology. He became senior paleobiologist in 1967, after which he devoted his life to research. He retired in 1974 with paleobiologist emeritus title. He died in 2000.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014. Social Security Administration.
  2. ^ "Wonders of the Earth: Linsley Geology Museum – Spring 2014". The Colgate Scene. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  3. ^ a b "G. Arthur Cooper (1902-2000) and Josephine Wells (1905-2010)". Paleopolis. CdM Créations. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  4. ^ "G. Arthur Cooper". Smithsonian Institution Archives. 1984. Retrieved December 15, 2012.