William King Gregory

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William King Gregory
Born(1876-05-19)May 19, 1876
DiedDecember 29, 1970(1970-12-29) (aged 94)
EducationColumbia University
Known forExpert on mammalian dentition
Spouses
  • Laura Grace Foote
  • Angela Bois
AwardsNational Academy of Sciences
Scientific career
FieldsZoology
InstitutionsAmerican Museum of Natural History, Columbia University
ThesisThe Orders of Mammals (1910)
Doctoral advisorHenry Fairfield Osborn
Doctoral students
Author abbrev. (zoology)Gregory

William King Gregory (May 19, 1876 – December 29, 1970) was an American

paleontologist, and functional and comparative anatomist. He was an expert on mammalian dentition, and a leading contributor to theories of evolution
. In addition he was active in presenting his ideas to students and the general public through books and museum exhibits.

Early life

He was born in Greenwich Village, New York, on May 19, 1876 to George Gregory and Jane King Gregory. He attended Trinity School and then moved onto Columbia University in 1895, initially at the School of Mines but then transferring to Columbia College. He majored in zoology and vertebrate paleontology under Henry Fairfield Osborn. While still an undergraduate he became Osborn's research assistant and soon after married Laura Grace Foote. He received his undergraduate degree from Columbia in 1900, followed by a masters in 1905, and a doctorate in 1910.

Academic career

He developed an early interest in both

G. K. Noble
. He was similarly successful at the museum, becoming full curator of three departments and serving as Chairman of two.

Although his work was wide-ranging the overriding focus was on comparative anatomy. His studies often had particular significance in the field of evolution; he believed the anatomical structures of

extant
species should exhibit relationships. His work charted the evolution from the early fishes through the various branches to birds and mammals, with numerous papers and two major works: Our Face from Fish to Man in 1929 and Evolution Emerging in 1951.

He developed the principle of habitus and heritage – theorizing that animals evolved with two sets of characteristics: the heritage features which derived from a long evolutionary history and the habitus characteristics which were adaptations to the environment in which the species existed. He later expanded this to his palimpsest theory which proposed that the habitus features often overlaid and obscured the heritage features. A similar theory, mosaic evolution, has appeared since King Gregory's death.

He studied

hominids. His specialist knowledge of mammalian dentition led him to pursue the same path with regard to human evolution and he came to be regarded as the world's leading expert on the evolution of human dentition, a reputation secured by the 1922 publication of The Evolution of the Human Dentition. However, he did initially think the hoax, Piltdown Man, likely to be genuine.[1]

Gregory was elected to the America Philosophical Society in 1925 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1931.[2][3]

Later life

He retired from the American Museum of Natural History in 1944 and from Columbia in 1945, and moved permanently to his house in

National Academy of Sciences
in 1927 and on his death was one of the oldest members.

Notes

  1. ^ William King Gregory (1914). "The Dawn Man of Piltdown, England". American Museum Journal. American Museum of Natural History.
  2. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  3. ^ "William King Gregory". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-08-15.

References

External links