1769-1832

French Anatomist and Paleontologist

Georges Cuvier was France's leading naturalist and the father of paleontology and comparative anatomy. Born in the Jura mountain region of France on August 23, 1769, Cuvier attended the Carolinian Academy in Stuttgart, Germany. Cuvier had always collected natural objects and was fascinated by the study of plants and bugs. A job as a personal tutor to a noble family on the Northern coast of the country kept him clear of the turmoil of the French revolution. It also sparked his interest in marine life. He then received a minor government job where he began his career as a naturalist. In 1795 he traveled to Paris and was appointed professor of animal anatomy at the new National Museum of Natural History. He was later made Inspector-General of Public Education by Napoleon. He eventually held positions under several different and often opposing governments.

Georges Leopold...