Person Owen; Sir; Richard (1804 - 1892); comparative anatomist and palaeontologist Owen Richard Sir comparative anatomist and palaeontologist 1804 - 1892 British Male A house at the corner of Brock and Thurnham Streets, Lancaster, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom 20 July 1804 18040720 Richmond Park, Surrey, England, United Kingdom 18 December 1892 18921218 Burial: Ham churchyard, near Richmond, Surrey, England, United Kingdom

Comparative anatomist and palaeontologist Comparative anatomy Palaeontology Biology Taxonomy Vertebrate palaeontology Geology Education: Edinburgh University; St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, United Kingdom Career: Prosector (1825), then Lecturer in Anatomy (1829), both at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London; Assistant Conservator of Hunterian Museum (1827); Conservator (until 1856); first Hunterian Professor of Comparative Anatomy and Physiology, Royal College of Surgeons; received Sheen Lodge as a residence from Queen Victoria (1852); Superintendent of the Natural History collection, British Museum (1856-1883); first Director, Natural History Museum; opposed Darwin's theory of evolution Honours: CB 1873; KCB 1884 Memberships: Athenaeum (1840) Awards/Medals: Wollaston Medal 1838 Baly Medal 1869 Clarke Medal 1878 Linnean Medal 1888 Parents: Richard Owen (1754–1809), merchant in the West Indies trade, and Catherine Longworth, née Parrin (d. 1838), daughter of Robert Parrin, church organist in Lancaster. Spouse: Caroline Clift, only daughter of William Clift FRS (1823) Coined the word Dinosauria, identifying them as a distinct taxonomic group. Royal Society roles: VP 1849-1850; 1857-1858 Medals and prizes: Royal Medal 1846; Copley Medal 1851 Lectures: Bakerian 1844; Croonian 1851 Fellow 18/12/1834 30 Edward Stanley Thomas Phillipps Joseph Henry Green Thomas Copeland Benjamin Collins Brodie Marc Isambard Brunel William Henry Sykes James McGrigor Joseph Hodgson James Clark Ross William Blizard Benjamin Travers William Kirby A Copland Hutchison JA Clark Richard Horsman Solly Thomas Joseph Pettigrew Marshall Hall John Edward Gray Nicholas Aylward Vigors Joseph Sabine William Spence William John Broderip John Bostock Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB Obituaries: Proc Roy Soc 1894 vol 55 pp i-xiv signed by W H F References: Sir Harold Hartley, 'Richard Owen and William Clift' in NR 1953 vol 10 pp 60-62, plate Sir Gavin de Beer, ed, 'Some Unpublished Letters of Charles Darwin' in NR 1959 vol 14 pp 12-66 Sir Gavin de Beer, ed., 'The Darwin Letters at Shrewsbury School' in NR 1968 vol 23 pp 68-85 Roy M MacLeod, 'Of Medals and Men: A Reward System in Victorian Science 1826-1914' in NR 1971 vol 26 pp 81-105 Janet Browne, 'Cataloguing for Empire', review of Richard Owen, The Hunterian Lectures in Comparative Anatomy. May and June 1837, ed Phillip Reid Sloan, and Jacob W Gruber and John C Thackray, Richard Owen Commemoration: Three Studies in NR 1994 vol 48 pp 309-311 Joel Mandelstam, 'Du Chaillu's Stuffed Gorillas and the Savants from the British Museum' in NR 1994 vol 48 pp 227-245, plate Joy Harvey, 'Rise and Fall of the Chief Anatomist', review of Nicolaas A Rupke, Richard Owen: Victorian Naturalist in NR 1995 vol 49 pp 343-344 Vanity Fair 01 March 1873 - "Old Bones" by 'Spy' P J Kjaergaard 'Hurrah for the missing link: a history of apes, ancestors and a crucial bit of evidence.' Notes and Records 2011 vol 65 No.1 pp 83-98 Owen R, IM Maull 003400.jpg ©The Royal Society International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspl.1894.0003 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Owen%2C+Richard RCN 57387 RCN 57388 RCN 41611 RCN 57380 RCN 57381 RCN 27304 RCN 57382 RCN 57384 RCN 50436 RCN 50753 RCN 45444 RCN 57385 RCN 57386 RCN 57393 RCN 57394 RCN 57395 RCN 57396 RCN 57397 RCN 57398 RCN 57399 RCN 57400 RCN 14688 RCN 57412 RCN 57413 RCN 57414 RCN 57417 RCN 57418 RCN 57419 RCN R80148 RCN 57421 RCN 57422 RCN 57423 RCN 57424 RCN 57428 RCN 17877 RCN 57425 RCN 8501 RCN 20010 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH6408 20 Jul 1804 - 18 Dec 1892 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 21/05/2025 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA8083 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 08/09/2025 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/64089233 d9a9156c-f17f-493d-8a67-b414d3f670a4