Leo George Hertlein
Encyclopedia
Leo George Hertlein was an American paleontologist and malacologist who studied the Recent and fossil
mollusks of the eastern Pacific Ocean
.
Hertlein was born on a farm in Pratt County, Kansas
. After graduating high school in Wichita, Kansas
, he moved to the West Coast and entered the University of Oregon
as a geology
major.
After graduating with a B.A., Hertlein enrolled as a graduate student at Stanford University
. He received his doctorate in 1929. His dissertation was on the Pliocene
fossils of the San Diego, California
area.
In 1929, Hertlein was appointed assistant curator
of the Department of Paleontology at the California Academy of Sciences
. He rose to become the curator of Invertebrate Paleontology and elected a Fellow.
In the 1930s, he traveled to the Galapagos Islands
and the nearshore areas of Central America and Mexico.
He published over 150 papers on Recent and fossil mollusks, echinoderms, and brachiopod
s from California, Oregon, Washington, and Mexico.
On many occasions, Hertlein worked with Ulysses S. Grant IV
, who was a classmate at Stanford and who also worked on the fossil mollusks of California. They collaborated on several papers.
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
mollusks of the eastern Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Hertlein was born on a farm in Pratt County, Kansas
Pratt County, Kansas
Pratt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 9,656. The largest city and county seat is Pratt.-19th century:...
. After graduating high school in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, he moved to the West Coast and entered the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
as a geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
major.
After graduating with a B.A., Hertlein enrolled as a graduate student at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. He received his doctorate in 1929. His dissertation was on the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
fossils of the San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
area.
In 1929, Hertlein was appointed assistant curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of the Department of Paleontology at the California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences is among the largest museums of natural history in the world. The academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research, with exhibits and education becoming significant endeavors of the museum during the twentieth...
. He rose to become the curator of Invertebrate Paleontology and elected a Fellow.
In the 1930s, he traveled to the Galapagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
and the nearshore areas of Central America and Mexico.
He published over 150 papers on Recent and fossil mollusks, echinoderms, and brachiopod
Brachiopod
Brachiopods are a phylum of marine animals that have hard "valves" on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Brachiopod valves are hinged at the rear end, while the front can be opened for feeding or closed for protection...
s from California, Oregon, Washington, and Mexico.
On many occasions, Hertlein worked with Ulysses S. Grant IV
Ulysses S. Grant IV
Ulysses S. Grant IV , was the son of Ulysses S. Grant, Jr. and the grandson of General of the Army and President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant. He was an American geologist and paleontologist known for his work on the fossil mollusks of the California Pacific Coast...
, who was a classmate at Stanford and who also worked on the fossil mollusks of California. They collaborated on several papers.