Some Biogeographers, Evolutionists and Ecologists:
Chrono-Biographical Sketches



Coe, Wesley Roswell (United States 1869-1960)
invertebrate zoology, marine biology

from Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Archives, UC San Diego Library

Coe was a student of the celebrated zoologist A. E. Verrill, under the influence of whom he developed his central interest in the taxonomy and natural history of marine invertebrates, especially nemerteans (ribbon worms) and bivalves. Coe's studies ran the gamut, from investigations into embryology (especially change of sex), physiology and morphology (including anatomical regenerations) to studies at the population and biogeographic levels. He was especially known for his research on bathypelagic forms.

Life Chronology

--born in Middlefield, Connecticut, on 11 November 1869.
--1888: graduates Connecticut Agricultural College
--1892: Ph.B., Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University
--1892-1895: assistant in biology, Sheffield Scientific School
--1895: Ph.D., Yale University
--1895-1896: advanced studies in Germany and Italy
--1895-1901: instructor in biology, Yale University
--1899: takes part in the Harriman field expedition to Alaska
--1901-1907: assistant professor of comparative anatomy, Yale University
--1907-1938: professor of biology, Yale University
--1917-1944: associate editor, American Journal of Science
--1938-: professor emeritus, Yale University
--1940: president, American Society of Zoologists
--1943: publishes "Biology of the Nemerteans of the Atlantic Coast of North America" in the Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences
--1946-1948: president, San Diego Natural History Society
--1947: honorary D.Sc., Yale University
--1956: publishes "Fluctuations in Populations of Littoral Marine Invertebrates" in Journal of Marine Research
--dies at Chula Vista, California, on 21 September 1960.

For Additional Information, See:

--National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol. 47 (1965).
--Who Was Who in America, Vol. 5 (1973).
--The Anatomical Record, Vol. 143 (1962): 273-274.
--Wesley Roswell Coe (1869-1960): Marine Biologist of Renown: A Bibliography and Appreciation (1996).


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Copyright 2005 by Charles H. Smith. All rights reserved.
http://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/chronob/COE1869.htm

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