Leonhard Hess Stejneger
Encyclopedia
Leonhard Hess Stejneger was a Norwegian-born American
ornithologist, herpetologist and zoologist. Stejneger specialized in vertebrate natural history studies. He gained his greatest reputation with reptiles and amphibians.
Stejneger attended the Smith Theological School in Bergen from 1859–1860, and Bergen Latin School until 1869. His interests in zoology developed early. By age sixteen he had a printed catalogue of birds, and he painted birds in water color
. He moved with his mother to Meran in South Tyrol
and studied under a private tutor. He studied law
and philosophy
at the University of Christiania. He earned a Ph.D.
and started a brief career as a lawyer.
, becoming a citizen in 1887. He started working at the Smithsonian Institution
under Spencer Fullerton Baird
. Stejneger participated in numerous expeditions to the northern parts of the North America
n continent. From 1882 to 1883 he was on an exploration mission to Bering Island
and Kamchatka
. In 1895 he went to the Commander Islands, studying fur seal
s for the U.S. Fish Commission. He returned there a second time in 1922.
Within the Smithsonian Institution, he moved up the career ladder. In 1884 he was Assistant Curator for bird
s, in 1889 Curator for reptile
s, in 1899 Curator for reptiles and amphibians, and from 1911 on Head Curator for biology, a post he held until his death, having been exempted from retirement by a presidential decree.
Stejneger published more than 400 scientific works on birds, reptiles, seals, the herpetology
of Puerto Rico
, and other topics.
During his Bering Island trip he became fascinated by the life of Georg Wilhelm Steller
, an 18th century naturalist who had previously visited there. He thoroughly researched Steller's life over the next few decades, a hobby which culminated in his only non-scientific publication, an authoritative Steller biography.
Stejneger was a Life Member of the Bergen Museum
. He attended the International Congresses of Zoology
of 1898, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1913, 1927, and 1930, as well as ornithological and fisheries congresses. He was elected to the International Committee on Zoological Nomenclature in 1898 and served as the organizing secretary for the Section on Zoogeography at the 1907 International Zoological Congress (VII) in Boston
. In 1900 he was awarded a gold medal at the Paris Exposition
for his work on fur seals management and conservation. In 1923 Stejneger was elected to the National Academy of Sciences
. In 1931 he was made honorary president for life of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
. In 1939 he was made a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olaf.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ornithologist, herpetologist and zoologist. Stejneger specialized in vertebrate natural history studies. He gained his greatest reputation with reptiles and amphibians.
Early life
Stejneger was born in Bergen, Norway. His father was Peter Stamer Steineger, a merchant and auditor; his mother was Ingeborg Catharine (Hess). He was the eldest of 7 children. Up until 1880, the Steineger family had been one of the wealthy families in Bergen; at that time business reverses led to the father's declaring bankruptcy.Stejneger attended the Smith Theological School in Bergen from 1859–1860, and Bergen Latin School until 1869. His interests in zoology developed early. By age sixteen he had a printed catalogue of birds, and he painted birds in water color
Watercolor painting
Watercolor or watercolour , also aquarelle from French, is a painting method. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle...
. He moved with his mother to Meran in South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
and studied under a private tutor. He studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the University of Christiania. He earned a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
and started a brief career as a lawyer.
Career
In 1881 Stejneger moved to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, becoming a citizen in 1887. He started working at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
under Spencer Fullerton Baird
Spencer Fullerton Baird
Spencer Fullerton Baird was an American ornithologist, ichthyologist and herpetologist. Starting in 1850 he was assistant-secretary and later secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C...
. Stejneger participated in numerous expeditions to the northern parts of the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n continent. From 1882 to 1883 he was on an exploration mission to Bering Island
Bering Island
Bering Island is located off the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Bering Sea. At long by wide, it is the largest of the Commander Islands with the area of ....
and Kamchatka
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...
. In 1895 he went to the Commander Islands, studying fur seal
Fur seal
Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds in the Otariidae family. One species, the northern fur seal inhabits the North Pacific, while seven species in the Arctocephalus genus are found primarily in the Southern hemisphere...
s for the U.S. Fish Commission. He returned there a second time in 1922.
Within the Smithsonian Institution, he moved up the career ladder. In 1884 he was Assistant Curator for bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, in 1889 Curator for reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s, in 1899 Curator for reptiles and amphibians, and from 1911 on Head Curator for biology, a post he held until his death, having been exempted from retirement by a presidential decree.
Stejneger published more than 400 scientific works on birds, reptiles, seals, the herpetology
Herpetology
Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles...
of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, and other topics.
During his Bering Island trip he became fascinated by the life of Georg Wilhelm Steller
Georg Wilhelm Steller
Georg Wilhelm Steller was a German botanist, zoologist, physician and explorer, who worked in Russia and is considered the discoverer of Alaska and a pioneer of Alaskan natural history.-Biography:...
, an 18th century naturalist who had previously visited there. He thoroughly researched Steller's life over the next few decades, a hobby which culminated in his only non-scientific publication, an authoritative Steller biography.
Stejneger was a Life Member of the Bergen Museum
Bergen Museum
The Bergen Museum is a university museum in Bergen, Norway. Founded in 1825 with the intent of building large collections in the fields of culture and natural history, it became the grounds for most of the academic activity in the city, a tradition which has prevailed since the museum became part...
. He attended the International Congresses of Zoology
International Society of Zoological Sciences
The International Society of Zoological Sciences was founded to encourage research, education, and communication in zoology. The society includes both individual scholars, and professional organizations...
of 1898, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1913, 1927, and 1930, as well as ornithological and fisheries congresses. He was elected to the International Committee on Zoological Nomenclature in 1898 and served as the organizing secretary for the Section on Zoogeography at the 1907 International Zoological Congress (VII) in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. In 1900 he was awarded a gold medal at the Paris Exposition
Paris Exposition
Paris Exposition or Paris Exhibition can refer to*The French Industrial Exposition of 1844-World's fair:* Exposition Universelle , The Paris Exposition of 1855* Exposition Universelle , The Paris Exposition of 1867...
for his work on fur seals management and conservation. In 1923 Stejneger was elected 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 1931 he was made honorary president for life of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists is an international organization devoted to the scientific studies of ichthyology and herpetology...
. In 1939 he was made a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olaf.
Selected bibliography
- Results of Ornithological Explorations in the Commander Islands and in Kamtschatka (1885)
- Birds of Kauai Island, Hawaiian Archipelago / collected by Mr. Valdemar KnudsenValdemar KnudsenValdemar Emil Knudsen was a sugar cane plantation pioneer on west Kauai, Hawaii.-Background:Valdemar Emil Knudsen was born in Kristiansand, in Vest-Agder county, Norway. He was college-trained in botany and science in Copenhagen. Knudsen was successful both as a publisher in New York City and as a...
, with description of new species (1887) - Notes on a third collection of birds made in Kauai, Hawaiian Islands (1890)
- The Poisonous Snakes of North America (1895)
- The Russian Fur-Seal Islands (1896)
- Herpetology of Porto Rico (1904)
- Herpetology of Japan and Adjacent Territories (1907)
- A new Gerrhonotine Lizard from Costa Rica (1907)
- Three new species of lizards from the Philippine Islands (1908)
- A new genus and species of lizard from Florida (1911)
- A new Scincid Lizard from the Philippine Islands (1911)
- Results of the Yale Peruvian Expedition of 1911. Batrachians and Reptiles (1913)
- A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles [with Thomas Barbour] (1917)
- A chapter in the history of zoological nomenclature (1924)
- Fur-seal industry of the Commander Islands: 1897-1922 (1925)
- Identity of Hallowell's snake genera, Megalops and Aepidea (1927)
- The Chinese lizards of the genus Gekko (1934)
- Georg Wilhelm Steller, the pioneer of Alaskan natural history (1936)