G. Evelyn Hutchinson
Encyclopedia
George Evelyn Hutchinson FRS (January 30, 1903 – May 17, 1991) was an Anglo-American zoologist known for his studies of freshwater lakes and considered the father of American limnology
.
Born at Cambridge
in England
, Hutchinson was educated at Gresham's School
, Holt
and Emmanuel College
, Cambridge
. After two years of lecturing at the University of the Witwatersrand
in South Africa
, he joined the faculty at Yale University
in 1928, where he taught for the next 43 years. He became a US citizen in 1941.
In 1949, Hutchinson was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
and in 1950 to the National Academy of Sciences
. In 1984 He was awarded the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal
from the National Academy of Sciences. He was awarded the Kyoto Prize
in 1986.
After his retirement, he spent much of his time in England. He served as the literary executor for the works of Rebecca West
. He died in London
on May 17, 1991.
He was awarded the National Medal of Science
posthumously in 1991.
Limnology
Limnology , also called freshwater science, is the study of inland waters. It is often regarded as a division of ecology or environmental science. It covers the biological, chemical, physical, geological, and other attributes of all inland waters...
.
Born at Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Hutchinson was educated at Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
and Emmanuel College
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. After two years of lecturing at the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, he joined the faculty at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1928, where he taught for the next 43 years. He became a US citizen in 1941.
In 1949, Hutchinson was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
and in 1950 to the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. In 1984 He was awarded the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal
Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal
The Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences "for meritorious work in zoology or paleontology published in a three- to five-year period." Named after Daniel Giraud Elliot, it was first awarded in 1917....
from the National Academy of Sciences. He was awarded the Kyoto Prize
Kyoto Prize
The has been awarded annually since 1985 by the Inamori Foundation, founded by Kazuo Inamori. The prize is a Japanese award similar in intent to the Nobel Prize, as it recognizes outstanding works in the fields of philosophy, arts, science and technology...
in 1986.
After his retirement, he spent much of his time in England. He served as the literary executor for the works of Rebecca West
Rebecca West
Cicely Isabel Fairfield , known by her pen name Rebecca West, or Dame Rebecca West, DBE was an English author, journalist, literary critic and travel writer. A prolific, protean author who wrote in many genres, West was committed to feminist and liberal principles and was one of the foremost public...
. He died in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on May 17, 1991.
He was awarded the National Medal of Science
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and...
posthumously in 1991.
Publications
Apart from many research papers, Hutchinson wrote -- The Clear Mirror (1936)
- The Itinerant Ivory Tower (1953)
- A Preliminary List of the Writings of Rebecca West, 1912–51 (1957)
- A Treatise on Limnology (1957, 1967, 1975, 1993)
-
- Vol I Geography, Physics and Chemistry (1957)
- Vol II Introduction to Lake Biology and the Limnoplankton (1967)
- Vol III Limnological Botany (1975)
- Vol IV The Zoobenthos (1993)
- The Enchanted Voyage (1962)
- The Ecological Theater and the Evolutionary Play (1965)
- Introduction to Population Ecology (1978) and
- The Kindly Fruits of the Earth: Recollections of an Embryo Ecologist (Yale University Press, 1979)
About him
- Slack, Nancy G. G. Evelyn Hutchinson and the Invention of Modern Ecology (Yale University Press; 2011) 457 pages
- Myrdene Anderson 2000. Sharing G. Evelyn Hutchinson's fabricational noise. Sign Systems StudiesSign Systems StudiesSign Systems Studies is internationally the oldest semiotics periodical, initially published in Russian, since 1998 in English. The journal was established by Juri Lotman in 1964. Since 1998 edited by Peeter Torop, Mihhail Lotman and Kalevi Kull.It is published by the semiotics department of Tartu...
28: 388–396.