Schuchert, Charles

Charles Schuchert, (born July 3, 1858, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.—died Nov. 20, 1942, New Haven, Conn.), American paleontologist who was a leader in the development of paleogeography, the study of the distribution of lands and seas in the geological past.

While supporting his siblings after the death of their father, Schuchert developed an intense interest in fossils. During the 1880s he earned a livelihood drawing illustrations of fossil bryozoans and brachiopods for state geological surveys, meanwhile building up his own impressive collection of specimens. Schuchert served as curator of the U.S. National Museum (where he was best known for his taxonomic work) from 1894 to 1904. He was then appointed professor of paleontology at Yale University, where he served until his retirement as professor emeritus in 1923. Schuchert’s A Text-Book of Geology (1915; with L.V. Pirsson) remained the standard text for historical geology until mid-century. He was the foremost authority on the paleogeography of North America, his efforts in this field culminating in his publication of the first volume of Historical Geology of North America (1935), a massive synthesis of contemporary knowledge on that subject. He also wrote Textbook of Historical Geological Paleogeography of North America and The Earth and Its Rhythms (1927).